Welcome focus on Hong Kong women's uphill struggles
Su-Mei Thompson welcomes government moves to create a more level playing field for women in society, including those unveiled in the policy address - but will they prove to be effective?
The recent policy address touches on many issues that local women's groups have been working to address. These include turning a gender lens on policymaking, helping women carers stay in the workforce and empowering women in poverty to be more economically self-reliant. We now need detailed and thoughtful implementation of the outlined approaches.
From this year, all government departments are required to refer to a "gender mainstreaming checklist" when formulating major policies and initiatives. Basically, they will have to confirm that they have examined gender-segregated data and have consulted women's associations on the likely gender impact.
However, we know from our own research that there are significant gaps across the government in the collection and analysis of key data - including on teenage pregnancies, household spending on childcare and elderly care, individuals with disabilities, and ethnic minority women - which make it more difficult for effective policies to be developed.
In addition, gender experts must be utilised, to allay the suspicion that departments will merely pay lip service to the checklist. Here, we need to build the talent pool of officials who understand gender issues and can join the dots between data and policy formulation to create a more level playing field for women.
The policy address also proposed to increase women's representation on advisory and statutory bodies from 30 per cent to 35 per cent. However, a closer look at the make-up of these groups reveals that while, overall, women comprise more than 30 per cent of the total, some 147 of the 470 bodies have fewer than 30 per cent women and 30 boards have no women at all. More must be done to encourage the laggards.
Furthermore, the positive impact of women's involvement would be even bigger if the government committed to setting targets to address the shockingly low representation of women in functional constituencies - they hold just two of the 35 seats - and in the Legislative Council more generally, where women make up just 16 per cent of lawmakers.
This is important for many reasons, not least because of the substantial global body of research showing that women legislators are more likely to prioritise women's, children's and family issues, and the environment.
The government has also said it will encourage employers to offer part-time jobs that appeal to women with care-giving responsibilities. However, if part-time work is to become more prevalent, our employment laws need to be amended, as, currently, employees who work less than 18 hours a week are not entitled to many of the benefits and protection under the Employment Ordinance.
The emphasis in the policy address on enhancing care services should also be helpful to working mothers (and fathers). Full-day kindergarten services and additional childcare subsidies, plus more residential care places for the elderly, are all positive steps. Without suitably qualified people, however, implementation of these programmes will be problematic. Hong Kong has tended to rely on an imported underclass of foreign domestic helpers to provide care services without investing in or encouraging the development of local professional carers.
The government appears to have recognised the problem by announcing that funding will be forthcoming for 1,000 places on a new scheme to encourage young people to become elderly and rehabilitation carers. For the scheme to succeed though, we need a shift in mindset - from one where a stigma is attached to care services as a potential career. Improving the professional status of the industry is an important step.
At the same time, it is only right that we acknowledge the vital role played by migrant workers as carers. Currently, our employment conditions for foreign domestic workers lag behind global standards promoted by the International Labour Organisation. More humane policymaking in this area would benefit us all.
Many non-governmental organisations have expressed their disappointment at the new proposed minimum wage level of HK$32.50 per hour. According to research, taking inflation into account, the subsistence wage level for an average worker is at least HK$39 per hour. This is particularly salient for women's groups because women tend to make up the greater proportion of the working poor, given their preponderance in low-wage jobs such as caring, cleaning and catering.
Another concern of grass-roots groups is the current lack of Mandatory Provident Fund protection for the one million or so low-income workers, part-time staff, housewives and the elderly.
Apart from the working poor, Hong Kong has a depressingly large number of individuals who are struggling just to get on the job ladder. However, the one-line reference in the policy address to the importance of promoting employment for the underprivileged feels like a hastily included afterthought.
If, for example, the government could accelerate efforts to accredit holders of mainland vocational qualifications to do comparable jobs in Hong Kong, this would greatly help the many marginalised female new arrivals from the mainland who struggle to find work.
The policy address contains some substantive suggestions for how to improve the lot of women in Hong Kong, although many could have been more ambitious.
It is also disappointing that the government did not address the key recommendations from the recent United Nations review of the status of women in Hong Kong, including extending statutory maternity leave to be in line with global standards and giving better protection to the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community.
While progress on these fronts remains elusive, at least women's groups can take heart that the policy address shows the government recognises the importance of creating brighter prospects for women and girls from all walks of life, to boost economic growth and enhance social development and inclusion in society.
