Hong Kong Women

Women in Hong Kong have a similar social and work environment to women in the biggest Chinese cities and in Taiwan in terms of their access to education and jobs. However, Chinese society is still male-dominated. Women from Hong Kong are generally described as being more self-governing, monetarily autonomous, non-subservient, assertive, career-focused, and have better schooling than their female counterparts in Mainland China. Compared to Taiwanese women, Hong Kong women have further been described as having a “much more important role in business life in Hong Kong”. They also have “positions of significant power and influence” as a member of the family unit. The personality of women in Hong Kong evolved because of Western influences.

The statistical data from the Hong Kong national census in 2006 shows that the number of women in Hong Kong are increasing, while the number of men in Hong Kong are declining. The figure of single Hong Kong women living alone increased to 43.8 percent compared to what it was around 2001. The numbers were as follows: 103,938 in 1996, 127,001 in 2001, and 182,648, in 2006. The gender ratio between men and women as of 2006 was at 1,000 females for every 912 males, and is expected to deteriorate further by 2036 (1,000 females for every 763 males). The imbalance in the ratio between Hong Kong women and Hong Kong men was already evident in 2003 when there were 1,000 females for every 998 males. The age group affected by the decline in the number of males are females within the 25 to 44 years old range, which are “the most marriageable” age group of Hong Kong women. Life expectancy for women in Hong Kong is 85.6 years.