https://www.scmp.com/rss/322284/feed en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com This year’s Academy Awards were dogged by the #OscarsSoWhite controversy. Several black members of the academy boycotted the event because all 20 acting nominees were white. Given this, it was a welcome surprise to see US Vice-President Joe Biden introduce Lady Gaga and her theme song from The Hunting Ground, a candid documentary about campus rape in the US. Thanks to social media, millions of viewers across the world continue to watch the second most powerful man in the US lead the audience in... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1921877/men-are-natural-allies-fight-against-sexism-and-abuse?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1921877/men-are-natural-allies-fight-against-sexism-and-abuse?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 07 Mar 2016 07:29:02 +0000 From the blogosphere firestorm swirling around the recent article 'Why Women Still Can't Have It All' in The Atlantic, it's clear the debate about equality for the sexes still has a long way to run. A recent series of public panels organised by The Women's Foundation focused on one facet of this - the gender gap in pay - and examined why women in Hong Kong are paid on average 25 per cent less than men. This is worse than the international average gap of 18 per cent, according to the... https://www.scmp.com/article/1007273/mind-gap?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/1007273/mind-gap?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 19 Jul 2012 16:00:00 +0000 The University of Hong Kong is recruiting a new vice-chancellor, and this seems an opportune moment to examine the gender imbalance in academia in Hong Kong and ask why a profession that seems a natural calling for women remains such a male bastion, especially at the top. On the surface, academia in Hong Kong is filled with women. Employment rates in universities are nearly at parity - 52per cent men and 48per cent women. But the true picture is of an inverted pyramid. At the lowest ranks -... https://www.scmp.com/article/1001912/study-bias?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/1001912/study-bias?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 24 May 2012 16:00:00 +0000 As we mark International Women's Day and consider what progress has been made on the status of women in Hong Kong, the best that can be said, unfortunately, is that the picture is confounding and contradictory. At worst, stagnation and setbacks seem to be the order of the day. First, Hong Kong's primary and secondary schools have even numbers of female and male students, with girls pulling ahead at university and outperforming boys in many subjects. What is frustrating is that the improvement... https://www.scmp.com/article/994796/status-symbol?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/994796/status-symbol?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 07 Mar 2012 16:00:00 +0000 Gender equality is smart economics. From global think tanks to world leaders, management consultants to top business schools, the consistent message is that a higher representation of women on boards and in decision-making roles makes for better performance, whether in terms of return on equity, stock price or new markets and products. Diversity has many benefits for business, and more women on boards and in the executive suite tends to lead to better governance. In a capitalist-driven... https://www.scmp.com/article/988406/human-side?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/988406/human-side?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 21 Dec 2011 16:00:00 +0000 In last month's policy address, Chief Executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen announced a pilot scheme to explore whether civil servants should be entitled to five days of paid paternity leave. While the government should be applauded for encouraging more men to play an active role as parents, much more needs to be done if we are to move away from scripted gender roles and empower women to achieve their full potential at work. Equality in the workplace depends on equality at home. Studies show... https://www.scmp.com/article/985866/shared-role?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/985866/shared-role?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 24 Nov 2011 16:00:00 +0000