In the pink of wealth
Study shows pay gap between men and women is vanishing, writes Tiffany Ap
I and The Women's Foundation released a study analysing two decades of data on Hong Kong women. Education had the most striking effect on the number of women in the workforce.
In 1971, the government introduced compulsory primary education and in 1978, compulsory secondary education. Previously, education was out of reach for most females.
Women now aged between 30 and 39 were the first to reap the benefits of this reform, which had a clear impact in terms of university enrolment. Between 1996-97, when these women hit university age, women outnumbered men at Hong Kong universities for the first time.
However, women's achievements in education didn't cross over in full to the workforce. In 2001 the Equal Opportunities Commission commissioned a study of over 3,000 students.
The results showed that regardless of gender, students believed certain jobs such as nursing and teaching were suited to females, and men were better suited for the role of breadwinner in the family. Women, according to the majority of respondents, should manage the house and act as primary caregiver for children.