Chinese parents traditionally favor boys over girls, and so do the country's potential employers.

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As many as 70 per cent of female undergraduates on the mainland have encountered apparent sex discrimination as they struggle to grasp vacancies in the cutthroat employment market, state media reported on Wednesday.

Citing a survey by the Southwest University of Political Science and Law, the Beijing-based Information Times said sex discrimination has turned out to be a major stumbling block for female undergraduates during the job-hunt.

Female undergraduates account for half of the 4.95 million graduates in 2006, according to media reports, adding the demand for undergraduates is bleak as only a total of 1.16 million are expected to join the work force, a 22 per cent decline over the past year.

Over 40 per cent believed that discrimination does exist in employment interviews arranged by state organs and institutions

The state organs, institutions and state-controlled enterprises are the top three discrimination-prone employers, according to the survey.

In a country that calls for equality between the sexes, many bosses cite factors such as pregnancy, women being unable to take business trips alone due to safety concerns and the business climate that encourages drinking with bosses and clients after work hours that may not be appropriate for women contribute to their disadvantages when searching for jobs.

Male students inevitably gain the upper hand during the job hunt.

"Hiring male students will not be 'troublesome' in the future and will reduce the cost of employing another worker to replace a pregnant woman during their maternity leave," according to the paper, citing the comments of several enterprises bosses.

"The disparity in the employment market is detrimental to female students' enthusiasm for life and learning, promoting the concept that a diploma is not as enticing as a wealthy husband," an anonymous public relations manager told the paper.

The immense pressure facing female job seekers has forced them to accept the phenomenon.

"I have no energy to deal with sex discrimination because the fierce job market has almost driven me insane, " a female student told the paper.