MEXICO CITY — When Michigan-based automotive supplier Lear Corp. needed a secretary for its office in the central Mexican state of Guanajuato, it placed a classified ad seeking a "female ... aged 20 to 28 ... preferably single ... with excellent presentation."
And to ensure that it got the right candidate, Lear asked applicants to include a recent photo with their resumes.
In the United States, that ad might draw howls of protest and trigger lawsuits and hefty fines. But in Mexico, where jobs are scarce and enforcement of anti-discrimination laws is all but nonexistent, employers routinely select staff on criteria more appropriate to a beauty contest.
Job seekers who are considered too old, too chunky or too dark are screened out by companies that sometimes specify the ideal candidate's marital status, height, weight, tone of voice, even the part of town in which the person should reside.
What is less known is that many American corporations -- including Coca-Cola, Pepsi Bottling and Shell Oil -- are engaging in hiring practices that appear to violate their fair-employment policies in the U.S.
They include companies that trumpet their diversity initiatives north of the border, including top-drawer U.S. law firm Baker & McKenzie, and should be familiar with Mexican laws prohibiting discrimination.
"Why are so many of them not complying with the same standards they have to comply with in the United States? Because they can get away with it," said Los Angeles-based attorney Gloria Allred, known for battling discrimination.
When contacted by The Times, U.S. companies said they did not know about the ads or blamed them on local managers or third parties.
Lear executives in the U.S. said they weren't aware of the Mexican job posting. Provided a copy, spokeswoman Andrea Puchalsky later issued a statement declaring that the ad was not in keeping with Lear's equal-employment policies and that references to gender, age and similar criteria would be removed.
"Unfortunately, it is very difficult for a global organization ... to closely monitor the activities of our representatives in all regions of the world," Puchalsky said.
Mexico's constitution and federal labor code prohibit discrimination based on age, gender, ethnicity, religion, marital status, health and other factors. But legal experts say Mexicans rarely complain to authorities or file employment discrimination lawsuits, partly because seeking redress is a lengthy and expensive process.
