This week in Wuhan, a handful of female college students protested against invasive gynecological tests required for civil service jobs. From Jonathan Kaiman at The Guardian:
A picture of the protest on Monday, which appeared in the state-run Legal Daily newspaper, shows seven women standing outside a provincial government office, arms crossed defensively. They wear what look like giant underpants, each emblazoned with the Chinese character meaning “examine” – struck through with a red line.
The regulations that provoked the protest have been in force since 2005, and require women applying for civil service jobs to undergo invasive testing for sexually transmitted diseases and malignant tumours. Applicants have also been asked to provide information on their menstrual cycles.
[…] In March, the Beijing-based non-profit social justice group Yirenping Center sent an open letter to government agencies including the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security protesting against the gynaecological examinations, but it received no reply.
Earlier this year, some female activists in southern China occupied men’s stalls to protest against the shortage of public female restrooms.
See more on women’s rights in China via CDT.
