Hong Kong's competitiveness and development are closely intertwined with gender equality. The benefits are clear and have been long established: Happier families. Better overall business outcomes. A more robust economy.
But our city is far from reaping the benefits of gender equality. Stats released this past quarter reveal only 48% of women participate in the workforce, compared with 64% of men. This is lower than many of our neighbours including Singapore, South Korea, Mainland China, Australia and Japan. Women are 10 times more likely than men to cite household responsibilities as a key reason for not being economic contributors. The gender pay gap is at 15% i.e., for every HK$10 earned by a man, their female counterpart earns just HK$8.5. These are but a few of the numerous gender inequalities that continue to permeate areas such as safety, mental health, poverty, and career advancement, among others.
What is preventing us from closing the gender gap?
A key barrier to progress is zero sum thinking – where individuals believe that promoting the rights and opportunities of one gender will diminish and devalue another. From a TWF survey with IPSOS, we know the zero-sum mindset is prevalent in Hong Kong: 38% of men and 52% of women believe gender equality is a women’s issue and men need to stay out of the way, and 47% of men and 29% of women believe women benefit most from a gender equal society.
This is why we launched our #BreakZeroSum campaign which aims to change this “you win, I lose” mindset towards gender equality. We need people of all genders to model inclusive mindsets and ensure that the full spectrum of diverse voices is included in creating equitable opportunities and policies.
Make no mistake, this is no easy task. Reflecting on our own internalised biases and assumptions and then taking action to address these areas is challenging, ever-evolving work at an individual, organisational and societal level. Promoting inclusive thinking continues to be a core focus of TWF’s work – from our pipeline initiatives to our community programmes.
We have seen firsthand the exceptional results that follow when individuals and organisations put in the effort to understand how gender inequality harms people of all genders, determine where they might be perpetuating biases and taking initiative to change and support others. But for the benefits of gender equality to become palpable and transformational at a societal level, we need to redouble our efforts to reach every corner of our community, particularly those that are just starting out on their journey.
We hope you join us in breaking the zero-sum mindset and promoting the benefits of gender equality for all.
PS Our heartfelt thanks to Creative Partner, Moonlight, and PR & Social Media Partners BlueCurrent Group and FleishmanHillard for their support.
Ways to Support TWF’s #BreakZeroSum campaign
1. Watch the video: #BreakZeroSum #擺脫零和思維 - YouTube
2. Spread the word. Share the video on your social media platforms with hashtags #GenderEquality #WinWin #BreakZeroSum #性別平等 #雙贏 #非零和遊戲
3. Circulate TWF’s #BreakZeroSum Organisational Guide which has key tips on how to take action to challenge zero sum thinking.
Get in touch at Fiona.Nott@twfhk.org.
