Molly Lim has just completed a second term as president of the Hong Kong Association of Business and Professional Women. She talks about how the career woman's lot has improved - but still has a long way to go.
WORKING IN A CITY like Hong Kong can be tough and stressful, and it's not easy to find a balance in life. So it's encouraging to see young people taking control of their lives. There was more of a balance in the 1980s, whereas the 90s was more focused on work. And now we're back to this
search for balance.
While some trends go in cycles, one condition that has remained constant is the glass ceiling women face in the workplace. However far you develop, you always find a ceiling to overcome, and a lot of the top positions are still held by men.
When we set up our organisation in 1979, our main goal was to level the playing field for women in the professional world, particularly younger women. What set us apart is that we offered a bursary for female students in the non-traditional fields of the time, such as IT and engineering.
We've now reached a point where the notion of 'non-traditional fields for women' is no longer relevant. Things have picked up and men are more prepared to accept women and view them on the same playing field, especially in the banking and legal worlds.
However, as one female executive speaker (who shall remain nameless) recently said at the AGM of the Hong Kong Association of Business and Professional Women (HKABPW), when you're the only woman in the boardroom, the pressure is on and certain attitudes remain unchecked.