Policy Research @ HKIAPS

Sociodemographic Change & Wellbeing

* Policy Research @ HKIAPS member

On Gender

Sexual harassment: The challenges of navigating gender norms in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area
Investigators: Fanny M. Cheung* (PI) & Sally K. W. Lo*
Funding source: Policy Research @ HKIAPS, CUHK
Completion date: April 2021

A safe and comfortable work environment is essential to recruiting and retaining talent. Talent management is part of the fundamental infrastructure that forms the backbone of the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

The #MeToo and Time’s Up movements have highlighted the perpetuation of barriers to gender equity in work and educational settings across the world. Even in developed economies, legal and administrative mechanisms to protect against sexual harassment have shown limited effectiveness, given the cultural norms arising from power differentials and sexual taboos. Differences in perceptions of gender equality and differences in hierarchical power structures due to cultural variations will directly and indirectly influence an individual’s proclivity towards and tolerance of sexually hostile behaviours.

Given the increases in the number of overseas and cross-border assignments and academic exchanges, it is important to recognize cultural differences and gender norms when building knowledge about the issue of sexual harassment. With the rise of people-to-people connections in the Belt and Road Initiative, the potential risk of sexual harassment and gender discrimination in regional and international contexts should be recognized.

From a policymaking and managerial standpoint, cases of sexual harassment pose a challenge to governments, academic institutions, and multinational/multi-regional companies when sending staff or students to other locations for business and exchanges. The human costs of sexual discrimination and gender-based violence affect the institutions as well as the victims.

In line with the aim to gauge the cultural awareness of people who travel among cities in the Greater Bay Area, a local public survey was completed to collect data on the perceptions of Hong Kong employees and students of cultural differences in the workplace/campus when travelling within the Greater Bay Area for business and academic exchanges.

So far, through telephone surveys, individual interviews, and desktop studies of corporate policies, the research team has uncovered five major issues. The involvement of various stakeholders, incomplete and imprecise corporate policies and mechanisms, employees’ social networks, the collective atmosphere in the company, and the cross-cultural confidence of the employee, all play a part in the topic of sexual harassment and gender norms in the Greater Bay Area.

Based on these studies, the research team will provide pragmatic and evidence-based policy suggestions in the future on how to promote gender equality and a safe workplace/campus environment, including recommendations on measures to enhance protections against sexual harassment in the Greater Bay Area.

Full report:

A study on public attitudes towards female political leadership
Investigators: Jing Song (PI) & Sally K. W. Lo* (Co-PI)
Commissioned by: Equal Opportunities Commission, Hong Kong

Female political participation is an important aspect of gender equality. However, in general, the proportion of women in positions of political leadership has always been lower than that of men. Despite the increase in female representation in the political sphere over the past few decades, women make up an average of only 23% of members of parliaments worldwide, and the growth has levelled off in recent years. In Hong Kong, women are under-represented in political institutions, and knowledge about the public’s views on gender equality and female political leadership remains limited.

This study examined the Hong Kong public’s views on female political leadership and the barriers faced by women in attaining political leadership in Hong Kong. Specifically, the aim was to expand understanding of this issue in three aspects: perceptions and beliefs about gender equality in politics and female political leadership; qualities considered desirable in political leaders and differences related to gender; and structural and other barriers faced by women in attaining political leadership.

Through the collection and analysis of quantitative and qualitative data, gender stereotypes of the performance of leaders held by the public and structural under-representation were found in this study: men were generally considered more visionary and more capable in the fields of economics, finance, and security, whereas women were believed to be more compassionate and better in the areas of education and social welfare. The study also found that women face obstacles such as domestic responsibilities and double standards, and usually receive unwanted public attention on their body shape and appearance. While respondents showed support for measures such as family-friendly policies, they also expressed reservations about the imposition of a quota system for increasing female political participation.

This research finding was discussed positively in a total of 18 news reports.

Full report:

Train the trainers: Minority girls and gender justice
Investigators: Raees B. Baig (PI), Susanne Y. P. Choi, Sally K. W. Lo*, & Janice Chan
Funding source: Knowledge Transfer Project Fund, CUHK

Ethnic minority women in Hong Kong, mainly Muslim women, have been suffering from double marginalization and are at a greater risk of experiencing inequality than other groups because they face suppression in mainstream society as well as in their minority communities. Frontline workers find it difficult to reach out to ethnic minority women due to language and cultural barriers. The lack of interaction between minority women and local women, and the failure of minority women to integrate in local society, also mean that limited progress has been made in the process of empowering women.

The aim of this project was to establish connections among young minority Muslim women and local women. By strengthening their mutual engagement, the research team expected to empower both groups in the effort to advocate for the rights of women in Hong Kong.

This project provided a platform for young ethnic minority women to discuss gender equality with their peers, people from the older generation in society, members of their families, and their religious communities. Through training and conversations, young women eventually built up the capacity to lead the discussion. Intergenerational gender perception is important in this context as it affects the education, employment, and lifelong development of young people. Therefore, an intergenerational approach allowed us to observe acculturation and changes in the ethnic minorities of Hong Kong. The networks and mutual support groups developed from this project served as a focal point for the empowerment of Muslim women.

The project collected data on how ethnic minorities perceive gender equality, which shed light on issues of diversity and inclusion in our society. It is crucial for the government and service providers to possess such knowledge to be able to envisage the genuine experience of inequality encountered by ethnic minorities, and thus to provide support by devising and implementing policies and providing services.

The project organized eight sessions of gender awareness training for a group of young, ethnic minority Muslim women, which focused on exploring different gender concepts and issues. Representatives from local and international stakeholders were also invited to participate in strengthening the focus on ethnic minority women. In 2019, the project organized two screenings of the documentaries “Menstrual Man” and “Period. End of Sentence.”. Both documentaries describe how Indian society’s stigmatization of menstruation has prohibited women from obtaining sanitary products, which in turn has limited their mobility and educational opportunities.

The project organized a sharing session on generational differences and conflict management to start a dialogue with ethnic minority parents. The project also interviewed Mufti Muhammad Arshad, the Chief Imam of Hong Kong, and other religious elite figures in Hong Kong to eliminate misunderstandings about the Islamic religion and to share views on gender issues from an Islamic perspective.

The publication of a book Break the Barriers: Inside Stories of Ethnic Minority Muslim Girls in Hong Kong was an outcome of the project. It consists of articles written by young Muslim women reflecting on gender justice, which reveal their determination to shatter stereotypes imposed by society.