Sex discrimination shocked forensic scientist in 1960s Hong Kong
Sheilah Hamilton expected gruesome crime scenes when she joined the government in 1968, but not unequal pay and ban from golf courses
Gruesome scenes of murder, rape and car crashes were par for course for Sheilah Hamilton after arriving in Hong Kong 45 years ago. But the sexual inequality she encountered was unexpected.
Born and raised in Glasgow, Hamilton moved to the then British colony in 1968 to work for the government as a forensic scientist.
What she found was discrimination, both professional and personal.
"I came from an environment in the UK where women earned the same pay as their male counterparts, so the 'interesting' thing when I came here was being paid 75 per cent of what men got."
The job offer stipulated she had to be unmarried, and that her pay would be HK$2,070 per month with an extra HK$248 expatriate pay.
A man at the same level was paid HK$2,580, with HK$260 expatriate pay. And there was no requirement for a man to be single.