Workplace disparity widens: women holding top jobs in Hong Kong paid nearly fifth less than men
- Women in managerial positions earned HK$9,800 less each month than men at the same level, data shows
- It is discrimination, experts say, although some women forgo promotion at work to care for family
Women holding top jobs in Hong Kong were not only paid considerably less than their male counterparts over the past five years, but the gap also widened, according to official data.
At the same time, the picture improved for the rest of the workforce, with the difference narrowing overall between what women and men were paid since 2017.
Women in managerial positions earned HK$9,800 (US$1,248) less each month than men of the same rank – nearly a fifth less – for the three months from April to June, according to the latest general household survey by the Census and Statistics Department.
That 19.6 per cent gap widened from 15.8 per cent last year and 6.98 per cent five years ago.
Among professionals, women earned 15.6 per cent less than men, worse than the 11.1 per cent gap in 2018.
Women in clerical jobs received HK$800 less than men – or 4.7 per cent – and this was also a deterioration as there was no gap between them in 2018.
The gender wage gap also widened with age, going from 2.14 per cent among those aged 15 to 24 to 28 per cent for those aged 45 to 54.
