The Hong Kong SAR Government has spoken out for women in the workplace. That the government is committed to promoting gender equality is to be reflected in the design of the new headquarters building at the former HMS Tamar site. "The new government headquarters and the Legislative Council complex in Admiralty will be fitted with non-reflective flooring to keep peeping toms away," said Secretary for Labour and Welfare Matthew Cheung Kin-chung last month.
The government's promotion of gender equality addresses the "3E" - environment, empowerment and education. The government created a Gender Mainstreaming Checklist to ensure gender perspectives are included when formulating policies. Women currently account for 34 percent of all civil servants. Of all the directorate officers, 33 percent are female.
In industry
However, trade and industry have not progressed so far. Even in Western Europe, though women account for about 44% of all jobs, the number of women working in hi-tech knowledge-based industries is still only a fraction of the total number of workers. Increasing the number of women in the field could, in fact, help offset an impending crisis. "The networking skills shortage in Europe isn't going away despite the recent economic downturn," says Mike Couzens, Managing Director of corporate communications and training for Cisco EMEA. "Women could make a major contribution towards plugging that gap and help companies and countries stay competitive." At the end of last year, only 5.6 percent of engineers in Western Europe were female. That number is projected to increase in 2010 but that alone won't be enough to offset the shortage of skilled networking professionals, which is expected to exceed 500,000 in the region.
Women in the board room
When it comes to increasing the number of women in boardrooms, should we do what Norway is doing? Back in 2002, 70% of that country's leading companies didn't have a single woman in the boardroom. A year later, the Norwegian legislature voted to ensure that by the end of 2008, every publicly traded and public limited company would have a board that was at least 40% female. Now that Norway has mandated -- and achieved -- greater gender equality in the boardroom, has it made a difference? While few in Norway want to go back to the status quo, many are questioning whether the state can really mandate corporate diversity. Many talented female business leaders are now spending most of their time in board meetings. The law has spawned a growing class of what might be considered professional board sitters, which some in Norway have nicknamed "the Golden Skirts." Some believe they could have been filling very good and important managerial positions, instead of sitting on boards.
And on the golf course
Ever heard the old wives' tale about the word 'golf'? Supposedly it stands for "Gentlemen Only, Ladies Forbidden."
Of course it's not true.
But as professional women ascend the corporate ladder, armed with skills and experiences they feel are necessary to break the glass ceiling, many overlook one small detail that most men understand. The majority of top-level executives play golf, and they do so for professional and personal advancement. Yet most women don't regard golf as an essential business tool or utilize it as effectively as men do.
Does playing golf really make a difference? The game of golf is synonymous with "big business," and is one of the most effective tools for the networking and dealmaking in the modern business world. An estimated 90% of Fortune 500 CEO's play golf. Many female executives spend long hours at the office, believing hard work is what's needed to get ahead.
Even those who believe in the "Work smarter, not harder" mantra are uncomfortable with the idea of leaving work early to meet up with colleagues or clients, and essentially, have fun. Yet it's a fact that working smarter often means putting yourself in the right place, with the right people, and at the right time.
And that's exactly what golf provides - proximity and access.
