Video | Gender equality in Hong Kong: #MeToo, milestones, and why there’s still a long way to go, in eyes of Women’s Foundation CEO
In her first interview since becoming head of women’s rights charity, Fiona Nott talks about progress made, how far Hong Kong still has to go to catch up with other developed economies, and why men are part of the solution
In her first press interview since assuming the role of CEO at The Women’s Foundation, Fiona Nott has come armed with numbers – sheets and sheets of them that quantify exactly how well or badly Hong Kong is doing compared to other cities in terms of gender equality. The foundation’s research, which collates data from government, business watchdogs and other non-governmental organisations, monitors women in all strata of society.
Nott reels off the figures: in the workplace, women earn on average 22 per cent less than men, a gap that is wider than a decade ago and wider than Singapore, the US, Britain and Australia; women represent only 13.8 per cent of Hang Seng Index company boards – just half of the 26 per cent in the UK; and women represent just 29 per cent of management positions – worse than Malaysia, Canada, the US and Australia. The wage gap increases to 35 per cent for elderly women.
Meanwhile, women make up 85 per cent of single parents living in poverty, and 30 per cent of women drop out of the workforce due to caring responsibilities.
“Often, working in Hong Kong you have a perception that there’s a lot of women in business, but when you dig deep and look at the issues, the position of women here is worse than other developed economies. That really shocked me,” Nott says.
How does Hong Kong compare with Europe when it comes to women-friendly workplaces?
Set up in 2004, the foundation aims to improve the lives and further the rights of women living in the city by tackling gender stereotypes, empowering women living in poverty, and advancing women leaders. The charity runs several programmes aimed at marginalised and disadvantaged women, including its Return to Work programme, but it is also pushing hard for better representation of women in leadership positions.
Not long after she was appointed CEO in September 2017, Nott launched an advocacy campaign calling for a stronger regulatory framework within the Hong Kong stock exchange to support more women on company boards.