Dr. Eliza Chan Ching-ha, GBS, JP, Chairperson of the Women's Commission, Discusses the Role and Challenges of Women in Hong Kong

An open and inclusive world city, Hong Kong sees women playing essential roles in society and actively contributing to its development. With our advancement in education levels and diverse economic achievements, more job opportunities have emerged, enabling many Hong Kong women to break traditional barriers and boldly pursue their career aspirations. Dr. Eliza Chan Ching-ha, GBS, JP, Chairperson of the Women’s Commission (WoC), stresses that Hong Kong women have excelled across various sectors ranging from business, finance to government, demonstrating exceptional professionalism and leadership. These women not only strive for success in their careers but also embody the spirit of “giving back to society.” Through their influence and dedication, they contribute significantly to Hong Kong, showcasing resilience and wisdom while inspiring other women to contribute to community-building.

Challenges for Women in Balancing Family and Work

Women’s achievements in Hong Kong extend far beyond the workplace. Many also shoulder heavy responsibilities for taking care of their families, and so striking a balance between family and work becomes a major challenge for them. More often than not, women have to juggle multiple roles including but not limited to high achiever at work and key supporter at home, and such dual capacities inevitably add to their pressure. To address the issue, in addition to steering policies from the Government, collaborative efforts at community level are also crucial in giving essential support to working mothers, enabling them to better manage their work and family commitments, thereby easing their pressure.

Dr. Chan remarks that the Government has been proactive in promoting family-friendly employment practices (FFEPs) among enterprises. For instance, the Home and Youth Affairs Bureau (HYAB) works with the Family Council (FC) to foster a pro-family social ambience and encourage employers to adopt more diverse and flexible FFEPs. Through publicity efforts like the Good Employer Charter, the Labour Department continues to encourage employers to adopt good human resource management and FFEPs, with a view to helping employees achieve work-family balance. Today, many companies in Hong Kong already have flexible work arrangements and family-friendly measures in place, such as offering flexible working hours, work-from-home option and carer leave, as well as a range of family-oriented activities for employees. Such measures not only help alleviate the work-family pressure faced by women, but also create more opportunities for women to advance their careers.

Collaborative Efforts to Promote Women’s Development

Dr. Chan believes that both the Government and the business sector play pivotal roles in advancing gender equality. The Hong Kong Government accords high priority to promoting gender diversity, enacts various laws to enhance women’s rights and status, and creates tremendous opportunities for their development.

At the corporate level, female leaders are not uncommon in Hong Kong. In 2023, women held about 38% of local managerial roles, which is a record high. Companies are also working to provide equal development opportunities for both genders. Upon market consultation, the Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited amended its Corporate Governance Code and Listing Rules in January 2022. The amended rules require all IPO applicants filing after July 2022 to have gender-diverse boards, and companies with single-gender boards must appoint at least one director of the opposite gender by the end of 2024. As of 2024, over 80% of listed companies in Hong Kong have at least one female director, reflecting corporations’ growing commitment to gender equality.

Meanwhile, Hong Kong women are strongly aware of their civic responsibilities and community engagement. To encourage their participation in decision-making roles, the Government accepted the recommendation made by the WoC in 2004, setting a benchmark of at least 25% for female non-official members in advisory and statutory bodies of the Government. The target has been gradually raised to 35%, and the Government has consistently met it in recent years. Such recognition of women’s capabilities further reinforces the drive for gender diversity.

Young Women to Contribute to Society

Young people are the future of Hong Kong and the key to its continued prosperity and growth. As remarked by President Xi Jinping, “Hong Kong will prosper only when its young people thrive; Hong Kong will develop only when its young people achieve well-rounded development; and Hong Kong will have a bright future only when its young people have good career prospects.” Dr. Chan states the importance of our younger generations in shaping the future of our country and Hong Kong. Both the Government and the community at large, she says, should strive to create more opportunities for young women to unlock their potential.

Hong Kong is a place full of opportunities, and many successful women may serve as role models for our younger generations. Women from various industries should become mentors and guides for the next generation, and provide platforms for young women to showcase their talents and pursue their dreams.

As a “super connector” and “super value-adder” connecting the Mainland with the world, Hong Kong endeavours to facilitate the country’s effort in going global while attracting foreign investment to the Mainland market, hence offers unique advantages and opportunities for young people to contribute to the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and the Belt and Road Initiative, whose efforts will in turn help uplift Hong Kong’s position in the international arena. Dr. Chan hopes more young women will bravely chase their dreams, actively participate in social development, and contribute greatly to the high-quality growth of the country and Hong Kong and the advancement of Chinese modernisation.

Family and Women Development Summit Hong Kong

On women’s development, Dr. Chan highlights the inaugural Family and Women Development Summit Hong Kong held on 9 October 2024, which is co-organised by the HYAB, the WoC and the FC. The Summit brings together key leaders in charge of policies on women and family from different places, as well as distinguished women from various sectors, to share their experiences and insights. Themed “Women’s Strengths in Action, Family Values Across Generations”, the event aims to provide a platform for exchanges and discussions among stakeholders to further boost family and women’s development in Hong Kong. Dr. Chan stresses that the Summit is not only a platform for dialogues but also a valuable opportunity to gather public input to help the Government formulate more targeted measures. Along with local stakeholders, women’s federations from cities across the Greater Bay Area have been invited to the event. The Summit thus serves to showcase Hong Kong’s achievements in family and women’s development and tell good stories of Hong Kong women, highlighting their equal capabilities in managing both career and family life and hence their strengths in “holding up half the sky”.

Family and Women Information Portal

Dr. Chan also introduces the Family and Women Information Portal launched by the HYAB. This one-stop platform offers resources on family education, women’s employment and entrepreneurship, women’s health and women’s interests and rights, providing women from diverse backgrounds with easy access to essential information. The portal also aims to raise public awareness of gender issues and highlight the importance of family education.

Conclusion

As Hong Kong advances from stability to prosperity, Hong Kong women will play more vital roles than ever, as they not only excel in professional fields at work but also shoulder key responsibilities at home. Dr. Chan hopes that all sectors of society will come together, creating an environment where women can thrive and unleash their power, thereby contributing more to the prosperity and advancement of our community.