"Gender equality is more than a goal in itself. It is a precondition for meeting the challenge of reducing poverty, promoting sustainable development and building good governance." - Kofi Annan, Ghanaian diplomat and seventh Secretary-General of the United Nations
Last Wednesday, the Chief Executive delivered her long-awaited Policy Address.
There are many measures noted in the Address which are welcomed and needed: enhanced child care services to help keep mothers in the workforce; support for lower income groups and the unemployed; increased resources to raise awareness around mental health and strengthen related services; the encouragement for Government departments to actively keep the needs of ethnic minorities communities in mind; schemes to attract more talent into residential homes and care centres to support elderly populations; and measures to assist SMEs.
However, with the exception of child care services, we are concerned by the lack of measures to specifically address challenges facing women and girls -- many of which have been exacerbated by the pandemic. TWF submitted a response to the policy address consultation that comprehensively outlined the areas where a gender sensitive response was needed. These are issues which we have covered extensively over the past year, among them: disproportionate caregiving and household responsibilities and the subsequent impacts on women’s physical and emotional well-being; the industries hardest hit by the pandemic being primarily female-dominated and the high unemployment risk this poses, particularly for vulnerable groups such as single mothers; and the deeply worrying increase in domestic violence over this past period which will likely continue due to increased financial instability and family tensions.
This is not to say that women will not benefit from the support measures listed in the Policy Address. However, without a gender sensitive lens, there is an acute risk of widening already worrying gender inequalities or entirely missing female segments of the population that need a more targeted approach.
It is crucial that we actively address the inequalities faced by more than half our population, commit to best practice befitting Hong Kong’s status as a global financial centre and move forward with actions and strategies to ensure all women and girls can reach their full potential. Our society as a whole will reap the wider benefits. All sectors must pitch in to make this happen, including Government.
At TWF, we will continue to engage with the Government to address these challenges, and we will strengthen our collaboration with the private sector, media, academia, NGOs and the community to drive an active agenda to close the gender gap.
Women and girls are vital to the rebuilding of our economy, our communities and our families; and gender equality has never been more critical to our future as a world city. We must seize this opportunity to fundamentally shift our priorities and re-centre our values and our actions on building a gender equal city.
Get in touch at Fiona.Nott@twfhk.org.