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Public Symposium and Stakeholder Engagement Forum

Public Symposium and Stakeholder Engagement Forum. The Status of Women and Girls In Hong Kong March 4, 2006

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Public Symposium and Stakeholder Engagement Forum

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  1. Public Symposium and Stakeholder Engagement Forum The Status of Women and Girls In Hong Kong March 4, 2006 “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 of its citizens.” -- Boutros-Boutros Ghali, Former United Nations Secretary General Sponsored by

  2. Public Symposium and Stakeholder Engagement Forum Board of Directors Noriko Honda Chen Alicia Kershaw Estella Huang Lung Shalini Mahtani Pamela Smith Elisabeth Scott Rebecca Woo Board of Advisors Cynthia D’Anjou Brown Cynthia Chung Dr. Staci Ford Christine Loh 2

  3. Special Thanks… Translation sponsored by 3

  4. Supporting Organisations Hong Kong Federation of Women’s Centres Gender research Centre (CUHK) Thanks also to The Helena May and to the Fund for Women in Asia, Inc. 4

  5. Intern Team Cynthia Ou, Louise Ng, Shirley Yeung, Cindy Chu 5

  6. Vision A Hong Kong where all residents -- girls & boys, women & men – thrive by having equal access to resources and opportunities Mission To promote the full participation of women and girls in all aspects of Hong Kong society through research, education and public awareness 6

  7. Goals • Mobilize local and international resources • Commission research on women and girls • Publish/disseminate research to community • Convene stakeholders • Fund strategic solutions 7

  8. Symposium Objectives • Share key findings of benchmark study • Seek advice and ideas of stakeholders • Work together to better understand root causes and develop actionable ideas for positive change 8

  9. Agenda 9

  10. “There is now overwhelming evidence that women's [and girls‘] empowerment and economic development has the most far reaching effect in improving the lives of all... men, women and children.” -- Nobel Laureate and Economist Amartya Sen, at the 2000 Harvard Commencement 10

  11. Public Symposium and Stakeholder Engagement Forum The Status of Women and Girls In Hong Kong March 4, 2006 Sponsored by

  12. 12

  13. Research Team Patricia Chiu April Lai Helena Chui Mario Liong Heidi Ip Terry Mui Iris Kam Emily Ng Vanessa Kwok Joyce Tang 13

  14. Research Methodology • Request for proposal • Interview prospects; select team of 10 • Identify 16 topic areas based on CEDAW • Appoint Research Taskforce • Collect extant research between 1999-2004 • Outreach to NGOs • 40+ organisations conducted 655 studies • Academic & TWF Board review 14

  15. The Case for Research “Adopting an evidence-based approach to developing policies and practices can help decision-makers to put down their own assumptions that may be grounded in bias and not fact.” “Attitudes and social conditions also change constantly; what may be accurate today may no longer be tomorrow.” -- Christine Loh 15

  16. The Case for Research “Statistics are unsung yet essential ingredients for economic and social progress.” -- José Antonio Ocampo, UN Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs “One of the most pronounced shortcomings in this area — with the most damaging effects — appears in the collection of data disaggregated by sex and of data focusing on gender issues.” -- UN press release 16

  17. Women are undervalued • We know very little, and almost nothing about root causes • What we do know: women are undervalued and under represented in the community • Women don’t seem to believe this can change 17

  18. “There are three kinds of lies… …lies, damned lies and statistics.” -- attributed to Disraeli by Mark Twain 18

  19. Data can explode myths • 60 to 100 million missing women in Asia and North Africa – is it sex selection? • Hep B epidemic in Asia and North Africa • Hep B carriers give birth to 1.5 boys to every girl • Hep B may account for 75% of missing girls in China and 20% of them in India 19

  20. We need to make the case for improving women and girls’ lives “First, we must convince the community at large that improving the lives of women will benefit the society as a whole.” -- The Status of Women and Girls in Hong Kong 2006, Conclusions 20

  21. We need to make the case Women’s contributions are meaningful • 44% of women who work reported being their family’s main • source of income • 60% of women surveyed contributed half the family income Women will need to fully participate in the economy • One of the lowest female labor participation rates in Asia • (54%), well below the G7 average of 67% • Male labor participation rates are already very high (G7 • average of 88% - college educated) 21

  22. We need to make the case Fewer young people and more women • Lowest birth rate worldwide (7.26/1000) • Elderly dependency ratio increased from 124 in 1991 to 154 • in 2001 • By 2033, 57% of population will be female We need to prepare and support women in what will be an increasingly challenging environment 22

  23. We need to engage men in this endeavour “Women’s issues cannot be the sole province of women. We must find a way to engage men in this endeavour, and to help them understand that women’s issues are not just issues for women.” -- The Status of Women and Girls in Hong Kong 2006, Conclusions 23

  24. We need more female leaders “We must encourage more leadership from women.” -- The Status of Women and Girls in Hong Kong 2006, Conclusions 24

  25. Women Men Legislative Council 18% 82% District Council 17% 83% Junior Counsel 25% 75% Senior Counsel 7% 93% Employed Persons 44% 56% Managers & Administrators 26% 74% Doctors 25% 75% Doctors in Consultant Rank 5% 95% Solicitors 35% 65% Barristers 18% 82% Professors 8% 92% Heads of Church 20% 80% Pastors 18% 82% We need more female leaders 25

  26. We need to learn more “We must build on the work discussed in this report to continually learn about women and our community, and to ask meaningful and difficult questions about what is needed.” -- The Status of Women and Girls in Hong Kong 2006, Conclusions 26

  27. We need answers • How would women affect HK if they had more of a voice? • Why aren’t women achieving leadership in the workplace? • What are personal / social / structural barriers to political participation? • What role do men play in developing women leaders? • Why aren’t women leaders doing more to develop women and girls? • What is the role of media? 27

  28. Girls Boys Economics 40% Physics 37% Geography 32% Chemistry 36% Chinese Hist 29% Biology 34% Girls Boys Business & Mgmt 25% Engineering & Tech 32% Arts & Humanities 18% Sciences 22% Social Sciences 14% Business & Mgmt 18% We need to better position girls in school • Most popular subjects for secondary school students • Most popular majors of university students 28

  29. We need answers • What is the interaction between societal norms, school culture and students’ choices of fields of study? • What is the role of parents in students’ choices of fields of study? • How does curriculum reinforce gender stereotypes? • Who sets curriculum? • How are gender traits among female students changing? • What are teachers’ roles in moulding girls’ futures? • How are some girls overcoming gender stereotypes? 29

  30. We need to foster women’s economic independence Women drop out of the work force because of child care • Main reasons for exiting full time work are childcare (51%) and caring for family members (7%) • 25% of the women workers who left full time work took up • part time jobs • 72% of employers did not have gender-related employment practices Women also drop out because work does not pay • Median monthly incomes of women are about 2/3 that of males 30

  31. We need to foster women’s economic independence Female poverty is increasing • The number of female CSSA recipients increased by nearly 87% from 1997 to 2003 • The total number of female CSSA recipients exceeded that of • males by 10% (2003) • 80% of single parent CSSA recipients are females • CSSA has no provision of child care services or job training Women are unable to break out of poverty 31

  32. We need answers • What are the primary, gender-specific reasons that women fall into poverty? • What are the ‘best practices’ for female empowerment programs, to what extent are they utilized in Hong Kong, and why not more? • Why does society view poverty-stricken individuals negatively? • What is the relationship between poverty / drugs/ gang behavior? • How to break the cycle of poverty? 32

  33. Concerns about the Elderly • Only 3.2% of elderly people were covered in private or public pension schemes • HK has one of the highest rates of elderly suicide in the world • Women constitute 55% of the total Social Security Assistance (SSA) recipients 33

  34. Home-makers…the next generation of elderly poor? • Second most common group (after the unemployed) prone to suicide • Wife abuse is rising • Low knowledge of HIV / AIDS; more than 90% of HIV positive women are infected by a long term partner • Homemakers are disenfranchised in the functional constituency system 34

  35. Important issues not presented today 35

  36. Stereotypes challenge our women both today and in the future • Children were ‘profoundly’ influenced by gender stereotypes, affecting every choice from school subject to career • Stereotypes were more firmly held by boys than by girls • 17% of the public considered women relatively less capable of making decisions than men • 34% considered men more knowledgeable about politics than women 36

  37. Culture is Interpreted Ask yourself: • Who is interpreting the culture? • Who is transmitting the culture? • What is at stake for them? 37

  38. Agents for Social Change 38

  39. Research Topics 39

  40. Facilitated Breakout Agenda 10:10 Observations 10:20 Identify Top Five Priorities 10:40 Discuss Top Three Priorities -Barriers to Change -Actionable Next Steps 11:40 Return to Plenary Session #2 40

  41. Public Symposium and Stakeholder Engagement Forum The Status of Women and Girls In Hong Kong March 4, 2006 Sponsored by

  42. The Top Five Stakeholder Engagement Feedback 1. Perceptions of women (education, culture, media) 2. Research & awareness (public education) 3. Employment (corporate and Govt policies) 4. Leadership & capacity building (corporate and Govt) 5. Institutional resources (Govt and public policy) 5. Violence (family abuse and personal security) 42

  43. Next Steps • Share feedback with the community • Focus our efforts • Continue stakeholder engagement • Design programs and make grants • Promote and commission more research • Collaborate with community partners 43

  44. Public Symposium and Stakeholder Engagement Forum The Status of Women and Girls In Hong Kong March 4, 2006 “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 of its citizens.” -- Boutros-Boutros Ghali, Former United Nations Secretary General Sponsored by

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