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International Women's Day

International Women's Day
International Women's Day is marked on the 8th of March every year. The first observance of the Women's Day was in 1909 in New York as a remembrance of the 1908 strike of the International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union, but evolved through later years into a day marking protests for equal rights, specifically women's right to vote in elections and hold public office. In 1949 the People's Republic of China declared March 8 an official holiday; in 1977 the United Nations declared March 8 to be the UN Day for Women's Rights and World Peace.
last updated:
9 September, 2024
Christine Wang’s portrait of Kim Kardashian, 2020. After decades of being sidelined by the art establishment, women painters are enjoying long-overdue exposure. Courtesy: Galerie Nagel Draxler
Art

6 women artists you should know in 2024 – from Christine Wang to Wangechi Mutu

After decades of being sidelined by the art establishment, women painters are enjoying long-overdue exposure – in the wake of Art Basel Hong Kong, here are 6 talents you should really already know

Women and gender

How Asian women are challenging bias to carve out entrepreneurial success

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India

India’s farmers joined by thousands protesting on International Women’s Day

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Women and gender

China’s gender-equality failings still hold back women and economy, Beijing told

Ahead of International Women’s Day, delegates at this week’s ‘two sessions’ parliamentary gatherings call for reproductive reforms and highlight problems that remain prevalent in China’s rural areas.

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A rural woman farms land in China’s Hubei province. Photo: Getty Images
Women and gender

Female leadership in Asia-Pacific firms a victim of flexible working demise

Senior female business leadership in the Asia-Pacific region has been shrinking this year and is lagging behind other parts of the world, with the lack of flexible working in the post-Covid era posing a hindrance to gender parity, Grant Thornton says.

Millionaires and billionaires

Ranks of self-made women multimillionaires swell as barriers fall: Julius Baer

The ratio of ultra-rich women stood at 11 per cent of the global total last year, compared with 6.5 per cent in 2010, as changing attitudes towards women doing business has led to a large number of self-made female multimillionaires, according to a survey by Julius Baer.

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Women and gender

Letters | How companies can ensure gender bias doesn’t hold women back

On International Women’s Day, readers discuss the need to better support women as they move up the career ladder, migrant domestic workers’ efforts to create a more inclusive city, and the Hong Kong government’s baby bonus.

Office workers in Central, Hong Kong, during lunch hour on November 20, 2023. Photo: Bloomberg
Hong Kong society

Opinion | Gender inequality hurts men and boys too. Inclusion is everyone’s fight

From men’s reluctance to seek mental help to women’s low workforce participation, harmful gender-based social norms and unequal power dynamics hurt everyone. Men and boys must go beyond being supportive allies to taking shared ownership of the cause.

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Siobhan Haughey

Swimming world champ Siobhan Haughey's journey to success

Hong Kong society

Less savings, more worries: financial anxiety weighs heavy for Hong Kong women

Recent data and warnings from social workers suggest that Hong Kong women tend to save less but need more money when they reach retirement age.

Pedestrians in Central. A study last year showed that men held on average HK$832,770 in pension funds, whereas women had HK$593,880. Photo: Eugene Lee
The Football Association of Hong Kong, China

Women’s football ‘fighting for everything we deserve’, world’s best Bonmati says

Barcelona’s World Cup-winning midfielder Aitana Bonmati says ‘a lot of changes’ are needed to achieve equality, urging football ‘to invest in us, and give us the opportunity’.

Spain’s Aitana Bonmati (front) celebrates scoring in the Women’s Nations League final last month. Photo: AP
Two Sessions 2024

Opinion | Why keeping Chinese women out of high politics hurts whole country

China’s respectable track record on incorporating women into the workforce falls short when it comes to high-level politics. Restricting the pool of talent at the top to half the population weakens badly needed competition and tells Chinese girls a career in politics is not for them.

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Women and gender

Opinion | World has much work to do despite great progress in women’s rights

Women’s rights have made substantial progress in the past 50 years, but the evidence shows there is still a huge global gender gap. Progress in many critical areas has been overestimated, and many countries still fall short in protection against violence, access to childcare and more.

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ESG investing

Hong Kong-listed companies see notable rise of gender diversity on boards

Hong Kong-listed firms have seen a notable rise of female representation on boards driven by regulation, but they still lag regional peers when it comes to women in key executive roles, according to MSCI.

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Screens showing the index and stock prices outside Hong Kong Exchange Square. Photo: Sun Yeung
Asia travel

Most women avoid Indian streets at night. This group strode bravely together

Night walks for women by women in the Indian city of Bangalore are allowing groups to tread fearlessly on the most chaotic streets where alone the risk of harassment would be high.

Parvathi Bhat Giliyal of Gully Tours (second right) speaks to a group of women during the “Pete by Night for Women by Women” walk in Bangalore, India, on March 25, 2023. Photo: Anita Rao Kashi
International Women's Day

‘Abused, threatened and violated’: women’s rights, gender equality battle takes centre stage

In this edition of the Global Impact newsletter, we look back at Women’s History Month, while the Post’s Women of Our Time conference took place a day before International Women’s Day on March 8.

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Hong Kong

Opinion | Needs of women must become a permanent part of policymaking in Hong Kong

The chief executive pictured surrounded by women officials makes for a nice social media post for International Women’s Day. But celebrating women, supporting their needs and efforts to give them a seat at the policymaking table must extend beyond an annual celebration.

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Women and gender

Macroscope | Stock exchanges can help Asia be global leader in gender equality

Stock exchanges have a critical role to play in convincing companies to support sustainable development and drive inclusive growth. Their influence on markets can also help rally the private sector to increase women’s participation in business and close the gender pay gap.

Bonnie Chan, co-chief operating officer of Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing (HKEX), speaks during a special market closing ceremony on March 8, part of the global “Ring the Bell for Gender Equality” campaign to celebrate the power of diversity and the contribution of women in markets and communities, at HKEX in Central. Photo: May Tse
Lunar

Women Of Our Time 2023

Lunar was at the Women Of Our Time conference this week, where a diverse group of speakers discussed issues related to women in finance, tech and entrepreneurship.

ESG investing

Hong Kong firms ‘must do more’ to get women onto their boards of directors

Hong Kong-listed companies must improve the diversity of their boards by implementing policies to encourage gender neutral hiring, offering training to nurture female talent and facilitating networking and mentoring, a panel discussion has heard.

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Indonesia

Indonesians rally in support of domestic workers on International Women’s Day

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Middle East

Women’s Day rallies seek equal rights, focus on Iran, Afghanistan

Many protests included calls for solidarity with women in Iran and Afghanistan where their freedoms have faced especially hard blows in the past year.

A Filipino activist holds a placard during a protest on Women’s Day in Manila. Photo: Reuters
Japan

Japan admits it must do more to ease women’s struggle to balance work and home

Women find it particularly hard to balance work and household duties, still broadly seen as the woman’s responsibility, forcing many into unstable, lower-paying work.

Art

Profile | Art fair director on why ‘you don’t need to be scary’ to be seen as strong

Angelle Siyang-le, director of Art Basel Hong Kong and a mother of two, talks about the importance of ‘soft’ power, communication and how it is OK to be bubbly.

Women and gender

Letters | Show your appreciation for your domestic worker on Women’s Day

Readers discuss equity for migrant domestic workers in our midst, gig workers’ rights, and the Myanmar situation.

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A senior citizen is accompanied by a domestic worker to a garden in Jordan in 2022. Photo: K.Y. Cheng
Banking & finance

Women ‘miserably’ under-represented in Asia-Pacific businesses, survey finds

Just 848, or 5.7 per cent, of 15,000 private businesses surveyed by JPMorgan across multiple sectors were founded or led by women. Those companies, however, excelled at fundraising.

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Women are hugely under-represented in high-growth businesses across Asia-Pacific, according to the survey. Photo: Xiaomei Chen
Women and gender

Why must top women executives choose between work and family?

Women, even those who hold powerful positions at work are still seen by much of society as primary carers, while men are stigmatised for taking time off to take care of family members.

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Indonesia

Twin women teach marginalised children in Indonesia

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