In reality, however, due to their physiological differences, it is necessary to protect female workers from some special jobs or working environments.

Sun Cunzhun (Changsha Evening News): Female job seekers are more challenged by China's ever mounting employment pressure. It is really difficult for older women to find or change their jobs. Even university graduates are turned away for fear of costs over maternity leave and family issues. When both market adjustments and governmental guidance fail to ensure fairness for women, a legal alternative is the only solution.

Xie Wenjuan (Guangzhou Daily): Men and women are naturally different in terms of labor division. Given this "privilege" by law, special social groups will be entitled to search for suitable jobs with the added freedom the law allows.

Improve job conditions

Ruan Zhanjiang (The Beijing News): Perhaps it is a way to ease pressure for female workers by identifying unsuitable jobs for them. But there are two major legislative obstacles.

First, how should we define "unsuitable" under our current legal framework? Though physically different, modern science and technology have allowed women to advance their competence and ability, thus more and more forbidden zones are now opening up to women. As more women are accepted for a wider range of work, the out-of-date categories of unsuitable jobs have to be modified in this regard.

Second, legislature should be aware of the trap of discrimination legitimacy. Usually, simple provisions will be easier to enforce while more complex procedures might make the law too rigid to develop with the times. From this perspective, the lawmakers should observe fundamental principles, and at the same time, avoid over specific stipulations.

Ye Lei (Yangzhou Evening): Over the years women have expanded their fields of work gradually, and now can do many jobs previously only done by men. Women in the military are such an example, and this even now extends to the Arab world.

Women also have to survive and develop on their own like their male counterparts. In today's world where nothing is impossible, we should preserve the freedom to choose for women.

Li Jianbo (Beijing Youth Daily): A dozen new job categories are regularly released by the Ministry of Labor and Social Security. But the slow pace of the legal system cannot make timely inclusion of all the new jobs.

It is unfair to make some now "unsuitable" jobs firmly close the door to women forever by law. The new laws should be more focused on the improvement of working conditions for women, rather than off limits for them.

Bi Shicheng (Chinese Business View): The root cause for job discrimination is the family role of women. They have to give birth and take the responsibility to raise children. But the ultimate employment equity cannot be realized by simply identifying what is not suitable for women.

Dear Readers, "Forum" is a column that provides a space for varying perspectives on contemporary Chinese society. In each issue, "Forum" will announce the topic for an upcoming issue. We invite you to submit personal viewpoints (in either English or Chinese). Upcoming Topic: How much is a voluntary helping hand worth? E-mail us at byao@cipg. org.cn Please provide your name, telephone number, zip code and address along with your comments. Editor: Yao Bin