New Hong Kong Labour Party leader urges equality for women in politics and better policies for caregivers
Suzanne Wu articulates her vision at the start of her two-year term
The Hong Kong government should put forward policies to alleviate the caregiving burden placed on women’s shoulders for years, according to the Labour Party’s newly-elected chairwoman as she vowed to advocate gender equality in the city’s political participation.
The election on Sunday of Suzanne Wu Sui-shan to succeed veteran lawmaker Lee Cheuk-yan in helming the four-year-old party brought to seven the number of the city’s 11 major political parties led by women.
In an interview with the South China Morning Post, Wu, 35, said: “I have seen many grassroots female members [in the party and other organisations] decide to recede from the scene at some point in their lives as their family burdens increase.”
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“Society has long held an expectation that women are responsible for taking care of children, regardless of their social class,” she added.
Wu lamented what she regarded as the government’s lack of recognition for the contribution of caregivers, most of whom she said were women. She said it failed to introduce policies to share caregiving costs, such as providing adequate services and family-friendly protocols in the workplace.
One item topping her to-do list was to set up a task force looking into equal rights policies.
