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one third of those companies having no female board membersat all (the international average in 2011 was 16.1%).In reality, this is not good news for women in business inHong Kong. Are we making progress or going backwardsin time in terms of progress? This is affecting the decisionmakingin business and in government – the policies andplanning and this affects our society as a whole.Are women in their 30s or early 40s forced or choosing toleave the workplace due to social pressure or other reasons?According to government data, women earn significantlyless than men, even for the same position. And fewer womenstay in the workforce long enough to attain top positions.Being your own bossWomen bear double duty in our society – in the workplaceand in the home. In Hong Kong, women are also expectedto look after elderly relatives – a phenomenon which willincrease as Hong Kong’s population continues to age andour parents’ generation lives longer.Perhaps that explains why more and more women arechoosing to become entrepreneurs. By being their own boss,they don’t have to deal with office politics and can selecttheir own corporate clients. They can also surround themselveswith people they find to be a positive influence, whichhelps them to do what they want to do and love – beingtheir own boss!Tomorrow’s Leaders未 來 領 袖They say old prejudices and discrimination fade alittle with each generation. So how dotomorrow’s leaders feel about gender?Dr Anne Peirson-Smith is Assistant Professor in theDepartment of English, City University of Hong Kong,said she has noticed that in the last five years,undergraduates are making the decision not to havea family.“They feel having children hold women back, andthat the best way to be independent is to have agood job,” she said.While well-educated women have that option,more challenged women in society may findthemselves stuck between a rock and a hard place.Their husband may hold traditional views on womenand make their wife feel guilty if they don’t take careof the family.“So gender equality has to be built into theeducation system, because that is when children areforming their ideas. In school books the oldillustrations were always of a man as a doctor and awoman as a nurse. That has changed, but it needs tobe go into all areas,” she said.人 說 , 舊 日 的 偏 見 和 歧 視 會 隨 著 每 個 世 代 逐 漸 消 除 。 那有 麼 , 未 來 的 領 袖 對 性 別 有 何 想 法 ?香 港 城 市 大 學 英 文 系 助 理 教 授 Anne Peirson-Smith 博 士說 , 她 留 意 到 在 過 去 五 年 , 愈 來 愈 多 大 學 生 決 定 不 組 織 家 庭 。她 說 :「 他 們 認 為 生 兒 育 女 會 為 女 性 帶 來 制 肘 , 而 獨 立 的最 佳 方 法 是 找 一 份 好 工 作 。」雖 然 受 過 良 好 教 育 的 女 性 有 這 個 選 擇 權 , 但 社 會 上 面 對 較多 挑 戰 的 女 性 , 或 會 感 到 左 右 為 難 。 她 們 的 丈 夫 或 會 對 女 性 的角 色 抱 持 傳 統 思 想 , 如 果 她 們 沒 有 留 在 家 中 相 夫 教 子 , 就 會 感到 愧 疚 。她 說 :「 因 此 , 性 別 平 等 應 納 入 教 育 制 度 , 因 為 兒 童 正 是在 此 階 段 形 成 各 種 觀 念 。 在 教 科 書 中 , 舊 日 的 圖 解 往 往 是 男人 當 醫 生 , 女 人 當 護 士 。 男 醫 女 護 的 情 況 已 經 不 同 了 , 但 我 們需 要 改 變 各 方 面 的 有 關 觀 念 。」The Bulletin 工 商 月 刊 June 2012 35© Richard Thomas | Dreamstime.com