Despite longstanding evidence of the benefits of gender equality, many companies are far from achieving gender parity across all levels of their organisations.

To accelerate change, we need both women and men to understand the issues and work together as allies in changing organisational norms and structures that perpetuate gender gaps.​ To this end, TWF, in partnership with IPSOS, conducted a survey among working adults in Hong Kong to better understand perceptions of gender equality at work and at home and identify barriers to taking action.

The findings primarily focus on the male perspective as men comprise the majority representatives of senior roles across the city and without their support, significant progress toward ending gender inequality is unlikely. The findings challenge some widely held assumptions and point to priorities for action. The good news is that the majority of respondents believe in the basic tenets of gender equality and in having equal opportunities at work. ​Many men recognise their key role in progressing gender equality and are taking steps to change the status quo.

Unfortunately, there remains a significant number of men not taking concrete action towards gender equality, for four main reasons: indifferent attitudes towards gender equality, the belief that gender equality is not relevant to them​, a zero-sum mentality, and concern that the quality of their family life will suffer if gender equality is achieved.

Here are a few findings that might surprise you:

• 1 in 4 men feel they face more inequality and discrimination at work than women
• 38% of men believe gender equality is a women’s issue and men need to stay out of the way
• 42% of men believe families will suffer if women are less able to devote time to caring for them

Shockingly, these mindsets were more prevalent among younger men, debunking the myth that younger generations of men have more gender equal mindsets than their older counterparts.

The findings also revealed that many women’s perceptions align with men, potentially reinforcing barriers to taking action for gender equality. Among them:

• 1 in 2 women believe gender equality is a women’s issue and men need to stay out of the way
• 29% of women say gender equality is not a priority for them
• 30% of women believe women should still take on more caring responsibilities than men

There is a lot of work to do to effectively address these issues and the survey sets out actions that businesses can take to drive change. These include awareness-raising to challenge apathy and misguided beliefs. Gender neutral, inclusive work policies that destigmatise parental leave and caring responsibilities. Engaging younger men and an effort to tackle gender biases among all genders. The importance of conversations across genders and generations, and the need to engage everyone in these efforts. Overall, a holistic approach is required that addresses issues both at work and at home.

As organisations and as individuals, we can each do more to effectively build a gender equal and inclusive workplace. Join us in making it a reality.

Get in touch at Fiona.Nott@twfhk.org.