Li Fangping, a lawyer who has handled many job discrimination cases, said: "in the current employment law it only says that opportunities should be open and equal to everyone."

A 2010 survey on college graduates employment by China University of Political Science and Law revealed that more than half suffered employment discrimination from gender to age, height to Hukou.

Philip Rostant, a judge specialising in employment law, said the only way to tackle so-called 'fattist' discrimination in the workplace is through legislation.