Hong Kong is second lowest ranked region in Asia for gender equality

Beijing. February 15. Silkroadnews - Hong Kong is second lowest ranked region in Asia for gender equality, South China Morning Post reports.
“Just 29 per cent of management positions in Hong Kong are held by women, making it the second lowest ranked region in Asia. The city stands above Japan, where only 22 per cent of management positions are held by women, but below the Asian average of 31 per cent,” the agency wrote citing Bloomberg’s report.
Malaysia ranked the best region in Asia on this criteria, at 38%, followed by mainland China and Singapore at 31% and 30% respectively.
Despite the fact that more and more women are working, compared to men, only a few are advancing to senior positions. According to government statistics, the participation rate of women in the labor force in Hong Kong has increased from 49% in 2001 to 55% in 2016.
Hong Kong is the third worst region in Asia for its percentage of women on boards of directors, with women holding just 9.6% of seats on boards of directors. Having improved this indicator by 1.6% from 2016, Hong Kong surpassed Japan (4.2%), Indonesia (7.9%) and average readings for Asia as a whole (7.8%).
From 2016 to 2017, Hong Kong recorded a 5% increase in the number of women in decision-making positions, the best improvement in Asia.
Currently, 69% of companies have a flexible work schedule, but only 28% allow part-time work; 14% provide flexible leave options; and even less than 13% allow for breaks in career.
Women in Hong Kong get 10 weeks as maternity leave, compared to 12 weeks in the United States and a total of 52 in the United Kingdom, and only 18% of companies in the city are allowed to increase maternity or paternity leave.