People in their mid-30s establish a sense of stability in their professions, families, and money everywhere around the world. People expect to enjoy themselves both personally and professionally. This is not the case in China, where employees begin to worry about their employment position as soon as they reach the age of 35. According to a New York Times (NYT) study, the phenomenon known as the ‘Curse of 35’ refers to a situation in which many Chinese workers allege that firms do not wish to deal with them once they reach the age of 35 or higher. Age discrimination affects not only a worker’s job advancement, but also major personal decisions such as marriage, home ownership, and having children.
According to the publication, the issue is caused by the post-pandemic economic predicament in China. It is unknown how it began or how true it is, but with a sluggish job market, age discrimination is growing more common in this country and is not considered illegal. Even if it affects all older employees, persons in their mid-30s are “more acutely” affected because they are facing such a dilemma for the first time.
According to financial reports from the three largest Chinese companies, Alibaba, Tencent, and Baidu, they employed around 9% fewer people in the first three months of 2023 than they did at the peak of the pandemic, according to the New York Times. Furthermore, the headcounts of several of China’s major real estate developers are expected to fall by 30 to 70 percent. Furthermore, the number of marriage registrations declined by 10.5% in 2022 compared to 2021, the lowest figure since China began releasing the data in 1986.
Age discrimination and job insecurity plague worried employees seeking employment
Flynn Fan, a 35-year-old worried employee, told the site that he felt like a “plague” to society. He began to fear his age while he was only 30 years old, believing that he would be “passed over for work in a few years.” Then, in 2021, Flynn recalled leaving the office around 11 p.m., a habit that lasted three months, prompting him to seek anti-anxiety medication. He was laid off from an artificial intelligence company in Shanghai in late 2022, along with the majority of his colleagues. Flynn stated that the majority of his coworkers were single or married without children.
He has sent his résumé to over 300 organizations in the last six months and received 10 interviews with no offers. According to the New York Times, he is now looking for employment that pays 20 to 30% less.
Another employee, Cici Zhang, 32, has previously been advised by her employer that she is too old. She exhibited a copy of a job posting for a company that sells pregnancy products, which stated an age limit of 32 for employment. One of her past managers told her that after three months of training, he could replace her with a fresh graduate. According to the site, a viral internet message states, “Too old to work at 35 and too young to retire at 60. Stay away from homeownership, marriage, children, car ownership, traffic and drugs, and you’ll own happiness, freedom, and time.”