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Hong Kong society
CommentHong Kong
Lisa Moore
Lisa Moore

Opinion | Gender inequality hurts men and boys too. Inclusion is everyone’s fight

  • From men’s reluctance to seek mental help to women’s low workforce participation, harmful gender-based social norms and unequal power dynamics hurt everyone
  • Men and boys must go beyond being supportive allies to taking shared ownership of the cause

Reading Time:3 minutes
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Illustration: Craig Stephens
Lisa Moore
With an economy struggling to rebound, persistent talent shortages and a rapidly ageing population, Hong Kong needs to use every pocket of talent at its disposal. While many resources are being invested to mitigate the impact of these challenges, there is an overlooked segment of the population that could significantly contribute: women.
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In Hong Kong, just 48 per cent of the local population of women participate in the workforce. This is in contrast to the 64 per cent of men in Hong Kong and mainland China’s female workforce participation rate of 61 per cent. Hong Kong’s rate is also lower than across neighbouring economies, such as South Korea at 56 per cent, Singapore at 63 per cent and Australia at 76 per cent.

Dig a little deeper and it’s unsurprising as to why. At work, gender stereotypes, female health taboos, age discrimination and biases due to women being seen as carers all affect career advancement and the ability of women in Hong Kong to find and retain work.
At home, women still face pressure from their families to shoulder most of the childcare, elderly care and household duties. In addition, a 2021 study found that more than one in three women in the city had experienced sexual violence.

These problems are not new and progress in addressing them has been limited. To accelerate change, we need to make a critical course correction: we must reframe the role of men and boys in advancing gender equality.

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So far, men and boy’s involvement in gender equality efforts has largely been positioned in terms of being allies, where they are recognised for being champions of women, girls and gender-diverse individuals, and are encouraged to support equal rights.

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