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SCMP Reporter

IN A few weeks, the Government will be publishing a Green Paper on the question of equal opportunities for men and women to see whether there is more we should do to ensure that - in gender terms - we operate a level playing field.

  I predict a lively debate.

  The fact that we are focusing on this subject at this time may come as a surprise on two counts: first, to those who cling to the notion that, like many largely oriental societies we might have a reputation, albeit undeserved, for trying to preserve a male-dominated society; and second, to those who assume that in such a liberal place as Hong Kong we do not already have in place the legal and social infrastructure ensuring equal opportunities for all.

  So let us set the scene.

   Hong Kong bears witness to Mao Zedong's saying ''that women hold up half the sky''. They do very well in educational terms, with more girls than boys reaching matriculation standards last year, and women occupy prominent positions in many aspects of public life.

  The senior member of the Executive Council is a woman. The Secretary for the Civil Service and Secretary for Health and Welfare are women. The directors of Government Information Services, Legal Aid and Radio Television Hong Kong are women.

  One-third of the administrative grade officers in our civil service are women. There are even rumours my post as the Chief Secretary and head of the civil service may be taken over by a woman! There is no doubt the opportunities are there in this open but competitive society for women to rise to the top.

   The appointment of women to such senior positions has been in the hands of the Government. And I hope that the fact the Government clearly recognises the qualities of women in senior positions has not gone unnoticed in the private sector and political arena. Sadly, in political life where choices are left to the electors, the situation is less encouraging.

  Only two women - Emily Lau Wai-hing and Elsie Tu - can be found among our 39 elected Legislative Councillors, and only one of our 690 village representatives is a woman. Clearly there is a great deal to do to bring about changes to the traditional attitudes in these areas.

  Against the background of a fast-growing economy and the progressive developments in our political, social and education systems, women are playing a more and more important role in many facets of our community life.

  In 1991, nearly half of Hong Kong women were economically active and they made up 38 per cent of the workforce. This increase reflects an increased eagerness on the part of women to take up paid employment.

  With the introduction of universal secondary education a few decades ago and a doubling of the places at universities and polytechnics in the past five years, there has been a healthy increase in the number of our female managers, professionals and administrators.

  Of our professionals, including lawyers, doctors, accountants etc, 32 per cent are women.

  Work participation in the labour force is influenced here, as in other places, by the availability of support to mothers in helping them fulfil their family obligations.

   With the breakdown of the traditional extended family structure, nuclear families are becoming a predominant feature in our community.

   As a result, there are increasing demands for services for the elderly and the children of working women. We are doing our best to meet this demand.

  To illustrate:    The places in government-subvented homes for the aged have doubled over the past 10 years;    The number of places in government-aided nurseries and subvented creches have also nearly doubled in the last decade;     More flexible child-care arrangements are being introduced, including occasional child care services, extended nursery hours and work-based child-care facilities.

  Hong Kong is also unusual in the ways it helps women participate in the workforce. For example, under our existing labour and immigration policies we have imported over 100,000 foreign domestic helpers.

  We are fortunate there is no shortage of work. We have a very tight labour market with an unemployment and under-employment figure of about two per cent and there has been steady growth in real wages over the past decade.

  What about equal pay?   Unlike many societies which have introduced legislative measures to reduce the pay differential gap between men and women, we do not have equal pay legislation.

   But the median income for women in relation to men increased appreciably from 69 per cent in 1981 to 77 per cent in 1991. Although there is some way to go, we are not doing badly in comparison with other countries. In England, women earn 78 per cent of that of men.

  And I believe wage differentials will continue to narrow because the tight labour market in Hong Kong will leave little scope for employers to pay female employees differently from their male counterparts for jobs of equal value. Incidentally, the Government took the lead by introducing equal pay [for its employees] 18 years ago.

  One of the key issues we will be tackling in the months ahead is whether the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) should be extended to Hong Kong. In practical terms we should be well positioned to meet the aims of that convention.

  Women enjoy the same opportunities as men do in education, community participation and the provision of health and social services. The fact that women here can look forward to a life expectancy of 80 years compared to 75 for men must say something for the way women are looked after in Hong Kong.

  What we do not have is legislation prohibiting discrimination on the grounds of sex, either by private individuals or organisations. I think this will be a key issue when our Green Paper is publicised, and we will be tuned in very carefully to what the community has to say. We do not have a closed mind.

   Like many issues, applying the convention to Hong Kong would create international rights and obligations for the Government after 1997, and consultation with the Chinese Government would be necessary.

 Sir David Ford is Chief Secretary and Acting Governor.



Government takes lead in upholding women's rights