GOVERNOR Chris Patten is expected to receive an urgent request within days to include sexual equality in his October policy speech.
Fifteen women's groups will post a letter to Mr Patten today seeking a meeting to discuss sexual discrimination before he finalises his policies.
If he refuses to meet them before the end of the month, they will petition Government House.
The groups said they could not wait for the tedious process of the Green Paper on Equal Opportunities for Women and Men to take effect.
The City and New Territories Administration (CNTA) would take submissions until December 31, so any action such as equal pay legislation would take up to a year.
Association for the Advancement of Feminism executive secretary Tsang Gar-yin said the groups had written to the Governor three times since his arrival last year seeking a meeting.