Women in Hong Kong: Harmony and Balance

1
Women in Hong Kong Harmony and
Balance
2
Who are the Women in Hong Kong?
3
Who are the Women in Hong Kong?
4
Who are the Women in Hong Kong?

• Multi-faceted as they are, women are making
  ever-increasing contribution to the prosperity of
  Hong Kong!

5
Status of Women in Hong Kong

• Demography
• Life Expectancy
• Female 84.3
• Male 78.5
• Median Age at First Marriage
• Female 27.8
• Male 30.8
• Single Parents
• Female 45,072
• Male 13,388

6
Status of Women in Hong Kong

• Employment
• Labour Force Population
• Female 1.6 million (44)
• Male 2.0 million (56)
• Total 3.5 million
• Labour Force Participation Rates
• Female 52.0
• Male 72.1
• Total 61.5

7
Status of Women in Hong Kong

• Employment
• Unemployment Rate
• Female 5.8
• Male 8.0
• Total 7.0
• Underemployment Rate
• Female 3.9
• Male 3.7
• Total 3.3
• Median Monthly Income
• Female 9,000
• Male 11,000
• General 10, 000

8
Status of Women in Hong Kong

• Job Segregation (by selected industry)

9
Status of Women in Hong Kong

• Job Segregation (by selected occupation)

10
Status of Women in Hong Kong

• Education
• Percentage of Female Students in Universities in
  2002/03
• Female 16,300 (55)
• Male 13,089 (45)
• Total 29,389

11
Status of Women in Hong Kong

• Education
• Choice of subjects

12
Women and Men are born to be different?

• Sex and Gender

13
What is Sex?

• Biological differences between females and males

14
What is Sex?

• Examples
• Female have XX chromosome, while males have XY
  chromosome
• Females have vagina, while males have penis
• Females could bear babies

15
What is Gender?

• Socio-cultural differences between women and men
• the roles (mother/father, husband/wife)
• characteristics (values, personality traits,
  behaviours, attitudes and interests)
• in different societal institutions (the family,
  schools, workplaces and governments).

16
What is Gender?

• Gender roles and characteristics
• learned and transmitted through socialization
• changeable over time and
• have wide variations both within and between
  societies and cultures.

17

• If gender roles are deemed arbitrary,
• could they be changed?

18
Important Milestones

• 1923 Abolition of Mui Tsai System
• (girls adopted or sold into domestic
  servitude)
• 1950 Family planning association
• reproductive rights
• 1971 Legislative changes
• Marriage reform and related Ordinance
  prohibited concubines and recognise womens right
  to inheritance
• 1975 Women civil servants received equal pay as
  men.

19
Important Milestones

• 1978 Nine Year Compulsory Education
• 1986 Domestic Violence Ordinance
• 1995 Sex Discrimination Ordinance
• 1995 Beijing Platform for Actions
• 1996 Equal Opportunities Commission
• 1996 The United Nations Convention on the
  Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination
  against Women
• 2001 Womens Commission

20
A Balanced Life for Women in Hong Kong?

• Public Life and Decision Making
• Of all the top/ senior management positions in
  private and non-government sector, women are now
  holding about a quarter (26) of them.

21
A Balanced Life for Women in Hong Kong?

• Public Life and Decision Making
• Members in Legislative Council
• Female 11
• Male 49
• Members in District Councils
• Female 90
• Male 412
• Members in Government Advisory and Statutory
  Boards
• Female 1,306 (23.2)
• Male 4,327 (76.8)

22
A Balanced Life for Women in Hong Kong?

• Womens Roles in the Family
• Sharing of Housework
• Responsible for 20 and less
• Female 36.2
• Male 68.3
• Time Spent on Paid Activities
• Female 3.6hrs
• Male 5.3hrs
• Time Spent on Unpaid Activities
• Female 3.3hrs
• Male 1.1hrs

23
A Balanced Life for Women in Hong Kong?

• Information Technology
• People aged 10 and over
• with Knowledge on Person Computer
• Female 54.2
• Male 57.4
• Using the Internet
• Female 46.2
• Male 50.3

24
A Harmonious Relationship between Women and Men?

• Gender Stereotyping
• Pre-conceived ideas about one sex are applied
  indiscriminately without considering any
  personal, social and cultural factors.
• For example, "Men are aggressive while women are
  emotional".

25
A Harmonious Relationship between Women and Men?

• Gender Stereotyping in Media,
• (i) making use of women's body and /or portraying
  women as sex objects for marketing purpose
• (ii) making fun of women's body or their
  particular parts.

26
A Harmonious Relationship between Women and Men?

• Gender Stereotyping in Textbook,
• (i) featuring women and men in specific family
  roles.
• (ii) projecting certain occupations for a
  specific sex.

27
A Harmonious Relationship between Women and Men?

• Crime and Violence
• Sexual Violence

28
A Harmonious Relationship between Women and Men?

• Crime and Violence
• Domestic Violence

29
Fruit for Thought
30

• Is there any conflict between improvement in
  education level and political participation
• and
• traditional roles of women?

31

• Is there any conflict between changing status of
  women
• and
• our culture?

32

• What are the challenges women facing in achieving
  harmony and balance
• in the 21st Century?

33
Thank you!

• Questions are welcomed!