By Emily Lau



One of Hong Kong’s most outspoken and popular politicians, Emily Lau represents the Democratic Party.
 
HONG KONG – Recently, an article titled “The Female Factor” caught my attention in Newsweek magazine. It told how women’s untapped spending power may save the world from recession. Quoting a study by the Boston Consulting Group, it said that women are poised to drive the post-recession world economy with US$5 trillion in new female-earned income in the next five years.

Apparently, the total income for men worldwide is US$23.4 trillion, more than double that for women, but the gap is shrinking and most of the new-income growth will go to women due to a narrowing wage gap and rising female employment. Women may drive the global recovery.

A report published by Goldman Sachs says that spending by women focuses more on food, health, education, child care, consumer durables and financial services, which supports the development of human capital more than spending by men. Studies also suggest that health improves in households when women earn most of the income and have greater control of family resources. In households run by women, children enter school earlier and have better nutrition. Mothers spend more on healthcare and hearty food.

On education, the same report says that while literacy rates for women lag behind men, young women aged 15-24 are more literate than adult women, and the literacy gap between young women and men is almost universally in single digits.

Such figures are encouraging. As Nobel-laureate economist Amartya Sen says, “Women’s empowerment and economic development have the most far-reaching effect in improving the lives of all…men, women and children.”

Versus developing countries, the status of women in Hong Kong looks better. A 2006 report by the Women’s Foundation cites some advances. Women are freer to choose their life paths. They are more educated, earn more, have more legal protections and live better than ever before. Positive changes have happened on domestic violence and property rights, but more needs to be done.

To the Women’s Foundation, the most disturbing conclusion is that Hong Kong women don’t view discrimination as a social ill that can be changed. Instead they blame themselves for the limitations placed on them. They can’t see themselves as agents for change if they’re unable to effect change. In the area of political leadership, this is obvious.

In Hong Kong’s Legislative Council, only half the 60 members are directly elected and just 11 are women. That’s a far cry from the 50-per-cent target proposed by the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women. The committee also criticized Legco’s functional constituencies as male-dominated and likely to cause indirect discrimination.

In business, the role of women looks more promising. A 2007 survey by an international accountancy firm found that 83 per cent of the responding companies had women in management jobs. But a 2006 survey by the Hong Kong Institute of Chartered Secretaries showed 87 per cent of the responding listed companies with no women independent non-executive directors.

Internationally, a study finds that just 1.8 per cent of the boards of Asian companies have women directors. That lags behind 20 per cent in Nordic countries and 14 per cent in North America.

In Hong Kong and elsewhere, one way toward gender equality is by education. Chances for women have widened, yet gender stereotypes linger. One form of segregation lies in choosing studies. Evidently, more girls consistently select arts and humanities while the boys favor science.

Like the rest of society, our teachers may have stereotyped attitudes that subtly influence students, such as by encouraging girls to be passive and overlooking boys’ aggression. The Equal Opportunities Commission finds extensive gender stereotyping in textbooks.

I can’t help but conclude that Hong Kong women aren’t yet poised to drive the post-recession economy. Actually, the growing number of women living in abject poverty is a deep concern, yet holds no priority in Hong Kong chief executive Donald Tsang’s recent policy address.

The Hong Kong government has a solemn responsibility. Women must be more outspoken and enlist men’s help. We must convince the community that improving women’s lives benefits everyone.

I agree with the Women’s Foundation that more research should be done to analyze the problem and find solutions. The government can help by adopting a gender-specific approach in data collection and analysis. To be more user-friendly, the government should centralize and organize the data scattered on various department websites.

According to former UN secretary general Boutros-Boutros Ghali: “The full participation of women and girls in society is not just an admirable goal, it is vital. In a world facing increasingly complex problems, no community can afford to waste the talent of half its citizens.”

In Hong Kong, we still have a long way to go.

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