Renewed Momentum for Gender Equality

We hope you’ve had an abundance of rest and relaxation over the past couple of months.

Over the summer, we were encouraged to see progress across a number of issues advancing gender equality.

Spotlight on Gender Health Issues

The gender health gap has long persisted, particularly in sexual and reproductive health, where stigma and misconceptions continue to hinder awareness and support. This is why it was encouraging to see greater attention being given to issues that have traditionally been overlooked — from AXA’s Female Health Survey, which sheds light on the workplace realities of perimenopause and menopause, to Hong Kong’s first sperm race, which raised awareness of sperm quality and its impact on fertility, pregnancy health and miscarriages. New research and events that normalise conversations around these topics can contribute to closing the gender health gap. As part of our commitment to advancing gender equality, TWF is continuing our menopause research study with Prof Bonnie Hayden Cheng while encouraging deeper discussions on gendered health issues that affect women throughout their lives in our workplace programmes and beyond.

Sexual Offences Laws Reform

It was heartening to see more than 6,000 submissions to the public consultation on improving sexual offences laws with 90% supportive of the proposed reforms. After a month-long public consultation, the Government has announced that proposed changes to Hong Kong’s sexual offences legislation will be tabled by the end of the year. This is a significant move towards a safer Hong Kong, and one that TWF has long advocated for. Prior to making our own submission, we released TWF’s consultation guidance for the public in completing their own submissions, calling for strengthened protections regarding consent, AI and deepfakes, child sexual abuse, support for victim-survivors and overall sentencing consistency. We welcome opportunities like this to strengthen protections and improve the lives of women and girls.

AI Inclusivity in Hong Kong

Women and girls are disproportionately affected by the AI boom, from safety concerns in the digital sphere to biases and barriers in the workplace. Ethical concerns, underrepresentation in AI tools, and unequal access to information also contribute to lower AI adoption rates among women. Hong Kong’s dedicated AI training tailored initiatives for different communities, including older adults and underserved groups, are helping to ensure rapid technological change doesn’t leave people behind whilst supporting inclusive AI adoption and digital literacy. Through TWF’s Path to Empowerment Programme, we’ve seen firsthand the benefits of digital empowerment (including AI) for women in underserved communities, and we look forward to seeing this initiative helping to strengthen Hong Kong’s digital ecosystem for the benefit of all.

As we head into autumn, TWF is building on this momentum as we launch new programme cycles and celebrate progress alongside our supporters, allies and partners at our annual fundraising gala in October.

We continue to be inspired by our community and hope you will join us in shaping the tide of inclusion and change.