Social services policies should be made fairer to men, the equality watchdog said yesterday.
Releasing a report of a study on the impact of gender stereotyping on males, the Equal Opportunities Commission said the present policies were biased towards women.
Frederick Fung Kin-kee, convenor of the commission's policy and research committee, said the Women's Commission should be turned into a commission for sex equality to push for gender-sensitive policies.
'Society and even the government often view women as the weaker link and make policies based on this,' he said. 'Many policies and plans protect women's basic rights. There is a Women's Commission but no men's commission, showing the inclination of the government's values,' he said.
The study, conducted by the gender research centre of the Chinese University's Institute of Asia Pacific Studies last year, included questionnaires for 340 people, 10 focus group discussions and nine interviews involving 71 men.
While women complained more about specific work problems, men said they felt bound by traditional stereotypes to be strong and successful in their careers.
The survey found that 40 per cent of men were stressed by deadlines, 36 per cent by their workload and 32 per cent by the type of job they were doing. The figures for women found 50 per cent were worried about making deadlines, 47 per cent by their workload and 52 per cent by the kind of jobs they did.