Hong Kong inches along the road to gender equality in public life

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Published: 12:00am, 10 Dec 2010

Last month I was invited to the Global Women's Leadership Conference in Seoul. Jointly organised by the Hankook Ilbo Media Group and the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, the theme of the two-day conference was 'Empowering women to lead change'.

Although South Korea ranked 22 in global competitiveness, it ranked only 104 out of 134 countries in the World Economic Forum's annual Gender Gap Index. While Hong Kong is not listed in the index, the small number of women in political and economic leadership positions indicates the city also has a long way to go to reach gender equality.

In Hong Kong, much like South Korea, culture and societal mindsets are tenacious, and women are not considered natural leaders, particularly in the political and economic domains.

When I was first elected to the British colonial Legislative Council in 1991, I was the only woman directly elected. Today, almost 20 years later, out of 60 Legco members, only seven women are directly elected. Of the 15 principal government officials, only four are women.

In the corporate world, the situation is equally grim. Men dominate the boards of most big companies. Many Hong Kong people do not want their family members to become involved in public affairs and are even less keen about women playing an active role in politics.

When women decide to go into politics, they are often asked, 'Who will look after the family?' However, the same question is seldom put to men in a similar situation. Society must recognise that it is for its own sake that women should play a bigger role in political and economic life. Equal participation leads to diversity, competition, vibrancy and improved quality of decisions.

Speakers at the Seoul conference emphasised the need for government to adopt family-friendly policies such as lengthy paid maternity leave, paternity leave, flexible working hours and adaptable working arrangements, so that women can look after their young families as well as pursue their own careers.