Gender employment bias subtly hinders women's career advancement. While women constitute nearly half of China's workforce, they face the challenge of balancing family and professional roles, particularly with the three-child policy and traditional cultural expectations. China's declining birth rates and aging population prompted the implementation of the universal three-child policy in 2021, aiming to boost fertility. This policy shift comes against a backdrop of declining marriage rates and a decreasing desire among individuals of childbearing age to have children. Existing research has focused on improving female employment, highlighting the role of technology, international trade, and high-quality public services. Other studies have documented gender discrimination in employment opportunities, wage levels, and career development, noting women's overrepresentation in low-skilled occupations and discriminatory interview practices. However, existing research primarily examines the employment situation from societal, familial, and individual perspectives. This study addresses a critical gap by investigating the perceptions and attitudes of employers, specifically examining how the three-child policy influences their hiring and promotion practices regarding professional women and the consequent impact on female employees. The study aims to understand employer psychology and attitudes, providing valuable insights for women navigating career development in China.

Existing research on women's employment in China reveals a complex picture. Some studies focus on improving women's employment opportunities by emphasizing the role of technological advancements in socializing housework, the positive effects of international trade, and the provision of high-quality public services like preschool education. Other studies underscore the persistent gender bias in employment, highlighting disparities in job opportunities, wages, and career progression. They point to the prevalence of gender discrimination in various sectors, with women often concentrated in low-skilled jobs and facing discriminatory interview questions. The existing literature also explores the reasons behind this employment bias, citing factors like the lack of gender-sensitive public policies, traditional gender roles, occupational gender stereotypes, and the unequal distribution of genders across industries. However, existing studies predominantly focus on the two-child and three-child policy's impact on women's employment from the perspective of women, families, and society, overlooking the crucial role employers play. This study fills the research gap by focusing specifically on employers’ attitudes and practices in the context of China's three-child policy.

This study employed a quantitative research design, utilizing a survey questionnaire administered to HR managers from 260 enterprises in Jiangxi Province in 2022. The sample was selected from the Jiangxi HR Club, a professional organization of HR professionals across various industries in the province. The questionnaire consisted of two parts: (1) HR manager demographics (gender, age, experience, enterprise ownership, size, and understanding of the three-child policy); (2) attitudes towards female employment. The latter comprised five dimensions measured by a Likert scale: job competency, female employment bias, employee change, career development bias, and policy impact. The exploratory factor analysis (EFA) using SPSS 22.0 indicated high reliability and validity. The KMO test value was 0.859, exceeding the recommended threshold of 0.8, and Bartlett’s sphericity test was significant. The 18 items were categorized into four factors: female employment bias, employee change, career development bias, and policy impact. After pre-testing and refining the questionnaire, a formal survey was conducted with 260 valid responses. One-way ANOVA was used to analyze the impact of HR manager demographics and enterprise characteristics on gender employment bias. Pearson correlation analysis examined the relationships between the five dimensions. Finally, multiple regression analysis modeled the impact of job competency, employee change, career development bias, and policy impact on gender employment bias.

The study confirmed a significant employment bias against professional women. One-way ANOVA revealed that female-dominated enterprises showed significantly higher gender bias scores than male-dominated enterprises (P=0.000), supporting hypothesis H1. While the understanding of the three-child policy showed a trend towards increased bias (P=0.075), this was limited due to low numbers of HR managers unfamiliar with the policy. Pearson correlation analysis demonstrated that job competency was negatively correlated with gender employment bias (r=-0.190, P=0.002), while employee change, career development bias, and policy impact were positively correlated (r=0.421, 0.602, and 0.336 respectively, all P=0.000), supporting hypotheses H2 and H3. Multiple regression analysis (F=44.498, P<0.001, Adj. R²=0.402) indicated that career development bias and employee change significantly influenced gender employment bias. Specifically, a one-unit decrease in job competency increases the employment bias by 0.108 units, and a one-unit increase in policy impact increases the bias by 0.265 units. The model showed no collinearity problems (all VIF values <10).

The findings highlight the pervasive employment bias against professional women in China, exacerbated by the three-child policy. The results align with previous research showing women face greater career obstacles than men and need to exert more effort to achieve parity. The study’s unique contribution lies in demonstrating the policy's negative spillover effects on women's employment, especially in lower-skilled roles. Enterprises' apprehension about the costs associated with childbirth, including maternity leave and potential productivity losses, influences their hiring decisions. The lack of supportive fertility policies further contributes to this bias. The finding that low-skilled jobs exhibit higher levels of bias underscores the vulnerability of women in these roles. The study suggests that occupational gender bias is a significant manifestation of gender discrimination.

This study confirms the negative impact of the three-child policy on the employment prospects of professional women in China. The bias is particularly pronounced in male-dominated enterprises and low-skilled jobs. To mitigate this, the study recommends providing preferential policies for male-dominated enterprises, implementing skills training programs for women in low-skilled roles, and offering government subsidies to cover maternity leave costs for employers. Further research should expand the sample to national level, conduct regional and industry-specific analyses, and investigate policy interventions aimed at reducing gender-based employment bias.

The study is limited to HR managers' perspectives in Jiangxi Province. While the sample is relatively large, the findings might not be generalizable to other regions or industries in China. The reliance on self-reported data might introduce social desirability bias. Future research could benefit from incorporating mixed-methods approaches and longitudinal studies to better understand the dynamics of gender employment bias over time.