Achieving Equality – Have We Made a Difference?

1. Seminar on Gender Equality Panel Session: “From Concept to Reality” Raymond Tang, Chairperson Equal Opportunities Commission 19th January 2007 Achieving Equality – Have We Made a Difference?

2. Women Today • Better educated than their mothers • Many carry dual roles as carers and income earners • But women continue to suffer from family violence

3. Real Picture • Women make up 45.3% of the work force • Median monthly employment wage 81.8% of what men earn • 18.3% or 11 women councilors out of 60 Legislative Councilors • 13.3% in the Executive Council

4. Some Milestones • 1995 – Sex Discrimination Ordinance (SDO) passed in the Legislative Council • Equal Opportunities Commission implemented SDO since 1996 • 2001 – High Court declared Secondary School Places Allocation System (SSPA) discriminatory and unlawful according to the SDO

5. Sex Discrimination • 1996 – 2006 • Pregnancy Discrimination Complaints: 944 • Sexual Harassment Complaints: 750 • Step up public education initiatives • Media campaigns • Training modules for employment sector & universities

6. Gender Stereotyping • Priority to break down gender stereotyping • Youth mentorship programme “Career Challenge” • Broaden horizons to make real life-choices based on talents and abilities

7. Work/Life Balance • 51.8% labour force participation rate for women (2005) • Better work life balance enable flexibility to combine work and family responsibilities • Benefits employers and employees

8. New Landscape • Dual-earners families become the norm in our society • Roles for women and men to change • The Equal Opportunities Commission promotes equality for women and men

9. Thank you !