China’s female aerobatic pilots. (Photo/Xinhua)

China is taking further steps to eliminate gender discrimination against women jobseekers, including prohibiting employers from asking applicants about their marital or childbearing status, according to a recent notice jointly issued by nine government departments.

The notice issued by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security and eight other government departments outlines specific measures for carrying out existing laws that ban gender discrimination in the work place.

In addition to banning inquiries about a woman’s marital and childbearing status, the notice also prohibits recruiters from including a pregnancy test in pre-employment physical assessment or restricting births as a condition of employment.

China has long been fighting against gender discrimination, yet some companies still prefer male candidates over their female counterparts due to pregnancy and childbirth, since motherhood means at least a three-month long leave.

According to the notice, employers and recruiters who engage in gender discrimination in their job advertisements can be fined between 10,000 to 50,000 yuan ($1,500 to $7,400).

Other priorities mentioned in the notice include promoting career guidance for young women, developing infant and child care services, and helping women employees balance work and family.