They may “hold up half the sky,” as Mao once said, but Chinese women are often kept in their own lane. They get lower pay, are forced to retire earlier and have fewer leadership positions than men.

Now, the authorities who run China’s airports are giving women — or relegating them to, some might say — their own security line.

Beijing Capital International Airport has officially added women-specific lines after a three-month trial. The metropolises of Shenzhen, Kunming and Wuhan have done the same.

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They are marked by bright pink signs that say “Female Only” in Chinese and English.

The government’s rationale is that women want to avoid being frisked by men. In the women’s lanes, the security guards are all women.