Hong Kong elections: the shameful absence of women from politics
- Evidence around the world reveals women have shown political leadership by working across party lines even in the most politically combative environments
- Every political actor contributes to the chronic underrepresentation of women in the halls of power in this city, which impoverishes our public life
During these times of political polarisation and fragmentation in Hong Kong, there is one thing we can find in common across partisan lines – shutting out women from politics. The future for Hong Kong parliamentary politics is definitely not female.
The United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women has called on Hong Kong to introduce measures to improve that number. If we don’t see more women sign up to run before the nomination period for the Legislative Council general election concludes on July 31, we are going to reach a new low instead.
Eunice Yung Hoi-yan’s abrupt end to her political career is one for the books. She single-handedly turned the frequently cited adage that women never get married or pregnant during their time in Hong Kong’s legislature on its head. She got married and had two daughters while in office, proving that women can indeed lean all the way in.
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Some speculate she stepped aside for her husband, who is expected to run for the first time under James Tien Pei-chun’s centrist “Hope Alliance” banner. Whatever the reason behind Yung’s decision not to seek re-election, her opting out sends a disempowering message for women in public life.
Aside from the District Council (Second) “super seats”, the functional constituencies have by far proven to be the most disadvantageous for women. Forget glass ceilings – these seats are protected by Teflon ceilings. Ever since the Liberal Party ran out of female candidates, these seats have become testosterone constituencies – a final frontier for women.
While we might expect more women in the geographical constituencies, there are districts that stand out as total eyesores with “men only” lists. The worst has to be Kowloon East, where at the time of writing the six contesting lists had zero women.
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Tien, the Liberal Party honorary chairman, and former Financial Secretary John Tsang Chun-wah’s “Hope Alliance” is expected to field three male candidates, which doesn’t leave much hope for Hong Kong. It’s just contributing to the gender power gap.
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The system is stacked against women in so many ways and on so many levels. Every political actor contributes to the underrepresentation of women in power in Hong Kong and it is shameful, impoverishing our public life.
Alice Wu is a political consultant and a former associate director of the Asia Pacific Media Network at UCLA