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The following is issued on behalf of the Women's Commission:
The Women's Commission (WoC) announced today (March 5) findings of its survey on community perception of gender issues. The findings reveal that gender stereotyping is still prevalent in Hong Kong and gender inequality still persists in society.
The survey was commissioned by the WoC and conducted by telephone from January to February 2009. It aimed at gauging the community・s views and perceptions of gender-related issues, including the extent of gender stereotyping in society, factors hindering women・s development of potential, and the need to incorporate women・s needs and perspectives in policy making (i.e. gender mainstreaming). The survey successfully interviewed 1,530 people aged 15 or above, of which 53.5% were female and 46.5% were male.
WoC Chairperson Ms Sophia Kao said, ：The survey findings reflect that the concept that ．women are to take care of the family while men are to work outside・ is still deep rooted in society, leading the majority of the respondents to believe that women・s contribution was confined to the family setting and understate their contributions to society in other areas. This affects women・s development opportunities in different aspects such as employment and community participation. And under the long-term influence of traditional values, women themselves might also endorse some of these gender stereotypes.；
The survey also found that the public generally consider that women should focus more on family than their careers, while taking care of the family is the most important among the contributions of women. More women than men consider that women play a more important role in the family than men do. And educating and taking care of children was perceived by most women as the most significant aspect that undermines the development of their potential to the full.
Analysing the survey findings from the perspective of gender differences, gender stereotyping was found to be more prevalent among men than women, and spread across a wider range of areas.
Asked about their perception of the overall situation of gender equality in Hong Kong, more men than women tended to give more positive responses. For instance, more men considered that gender stereotyping in Hong Kong was not serious, that there was no need to introduce gender mainstreaming, that women could fully realise their potential, that they were content with the gender equality situation in Hong Kong, and that the public paid sufficient attention to women・s issues.
：We note that more men than women perceived that gender stereotyping was not serious in Hong Kong. This may be due to the different life experiences of women and men, such that they may have different perceptions towards gender equality and may not be aware of the gender stereotyping in their own minds and in society. The WoC will continue to strengthen its efforts in public education to help members of the public better understand the environments faced by women and reflect more on the subject,； Ms Kao said.
On the other hand, when analysing the findings according to age groups, the survey revealed that gender stereotyping is more prevalent in the elder respondent groups. Respondents in the younger age groups were also more receptive to the concept of gender equality.
Ms Kao said this finding was in line with the WoC・s vision. ：We have all along believed that elimination of gender stereotyping should start early in life in order to be effective and enduring,； she said.
：Over the years, the WoC has launched various initiatives to enhance gender awareness in school education and among students. Among other initiatives, we regularly have exchanges with the Education Bureau on curriculum development. We also organise different activities to stimulate students・ reflection on gender-related issues in an enjoyable way, for example the Debate Competition on Gender Issues for Secondary and Tertiary Students held last year, and the ．Women in Hong Kong: Harmony and Balance・ Creative Competition and the Orientation Camp Game Design Contest to Promote Gender Awareness organised in previous years.；
The survey also consulted the respondents on which areas they consider the Government should put priority to empower women. The issue of violence against women ranked at the top.
"Women's safety has always been the WoC's priority area of work. In January 2006, we published the Women・s Safety in Hong Kong: Eliminating Domestic Violence report and made a number of recommendations. We plan to publish a supplement in the second quarter of this year to take stock of the progress made and to give further recommendations on the next step forward."
Since its establishment in 2001, the WoC has been promoting the implementation of gender mainstreaming - the integration of gender perspectives in legislation and policies or programmes, taking into account the different needs and concerns of women and men. However, the survey reveals that only 10.5% of the public have heard about the concept of gender mainstreaming. But following explanation by the interviewers of what gender mainstreaming is, more than half of the respondents supported the view that the Government should adopt the concept of gender mainstreaming in formulating legislation and policies.
Ms Kao said that the WoC would continue to promote gender mainstreaming. In the coming year, the WoC will conduct another large-scale survey on ：What Do Women and Men in Hong Kong Think about the Status of Women at Home, at Work and in Social Environments?； to study the current state and the public・s perception of women in Hong Kong in the areas of family, economic participation and social participation in order to better understand factors affecting the full development of women in Hong Kong and areas that require improvement.
Ends/Thursday, March 5, 2009
Issued at HKT 18:21
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