EVERY now and then, I receive copies of the Inquirer from friends in Manila so I can see my column in print. I do see my column online but call me old-fashioned (and obsessive) — I still like to hold an actual print copy of PDI, with the scent of ink and all.
A few years ago, I received a complete set of a PDI issue, including the Classified Ads section named “Job Market.” I was surprised that in this day and age, many of the want ads blatantly showed the age and sex bias of the prospective employers. I hoped that this hiring discrimination based on sex and age would soon be a thing of the past in the Philippines.
I recently received another package of PDI issues collected by a friend since May. When I browsed a copy of the Job Market, I still saw ads that reflect the discriminatory policies of some Human Resources departments in Philippine companies. These ads not only showed age and sex bias but also discrimination based on height, looks and marital status.
If these ads appeared in the US, discrimination lawsuits would immediately be filed against these employers. But I see that even the Philippine franchise holder of a popular US shoe brand practices sex and age discrimination, based on its job ad for various positions: concessions manager (“female, 25-30 years old…”), concession supervisor/coordinators (“21-28 years old…”) and accounting supervisor (“female, 25-35 years old…”).
The following are examples of the copy in employment ads that typically appear in Philippine newspapers, not just PDI:
“Female, single, not more than 28 yrs; at least 5’1” — this was a line from an employment ad for a telemarketer. Why this employer would discriminate based on height, among other things, is beyond me. After all, a telemarketer is defined as a salesperson who uses the telephone to solicit prospective customers to buy products or services. Are the telephones hanging way up in the ceiling or the walls of this telemarketing office?
“Single, not more than 25 years old, must be computer literate, good looking…” — from an ad searching for a female private secretary. Enough said.
“Single, female…” — a couple of requirements for a pre-school teacher.
An ad announcing vacancies for electrical engineer and mechanical engineers and a sales representative demands that applicants must be “male, not more than 30 years old…” but for an internal auditor, the applicant not only has to be female; she must be “single, not more than 27 years old.” I am appalled.
Hello, it’s the 21st century — can’t women apply as electrical and mechanical engineers and men aspire to be internal auditors in this company in the Philippines? And why the age restrictions? They are deplorable requirements to begin with — but to set different age requirements for male and female job applicants?
Discrimination against job applicants based on sex, age, marital status, height and looks, among other qualifications, should stop. If there is no law yet against this type of discrimination, Philippine lawmakers should immediately enact one.
