In areas of China where the pressure to find employment is rising, female students are also struggling with the need to stay trim. Daily Mail reports that, in order to lose weight to impress employers in job interviews, Chinese students have been resorting to swallowing roundworm eggs.
“They hatch in the stomach, allowing those who take them to shed pounds without exercising or dieting in the Xiamen, China.
But swallowing the worms is extremely dangerous – and definitely not to be recommended for those wanting to shed the pounds in the New Year.” Rob Cooper reports.
While a woman resorting to drastic measures to get and stay thin is certainly not unheard of, it is interesting how weight is seen to correlate with success; “With jobs shortages across the country, women in China are under pressure to appear thin if they are to have any chance of landing a role.”
When looking at the statistics provided in the Daily Mail article that “there were 9.21 million registered urban jobless in China at the end of 2009, resulting in just a 4.3 per cent urban unemployment rate,” it is understandable that finding work in rural areas of China is a struggle, particularly if women are willing to risk their health just to find work.
“Many students struggle to find work as the world’s most populous nation faces big unemployment problems with only 780 million labourers in jobs…According to an employment paper, there were 9.21 million registered urban jobless in China at the end of 2009, resulting in just a 4.3 per cent urban unemployment rate.”
Read the full article here. Photo from Daily Mail.
