At TWF, we know that everyday sexism continues to blight the lives of many women in Hong Kong. And this is even encouraged by the Cantonese language. At TWF, we decided to zero in on the way the Cantonese term 事業線 meaning career line is used interchangeably in everyday conversations and by the local tabloids and social media to refer to a woman’s cleavage and to ask if this is a harmless joke or indicative of more serious issues about how women are perceived and perceive themselves.
In the same week that Emma Watson was blasted by feminists for being photographed for Vanity Fair in a cape that reveals her breasts, TWF released some new research we conducted in partnership with J Walter Thompson and Edelman to find out how men and women in Hong Kong feel about the term 事業線, women using sex appeal to their advantage and the prevalence of objectification, sexism and discrimination in the workplace.
A recent Edelman Intelligence poll conducted last week involving over 1,000 local residents between the ages of 22 to 45 revealed that over 40% of women consider 事業線 offensive but underscoring our concern that sexism is accepted and condoned in parts of Hong Kong culture and society, 68% of men said it was harmless and one in five men under 30 even felt the term was positive. Going further, over 60% of women felt that women are discriminated against based on their looks while 60% of men felt that sex appeal helps women advance in their careers. Interestingly, women felt more strongly than men that women using sex appeal to their advantage at work is inappropriate, offensive to women, unfair and uncomfortable for colleagues. Finally, 50% of respondents said they feel women in Hong Kong struggle to have their capabilities and efforts recognised at work thanks to their gender which underscores the negative effects of bias and stereotyping, no matter how casual and jokey we think it might be.
Last week, to coincide with International Women’s Day, TWF launched a new campaign #MyRealCareerLine - to celebrate the success of Hong Kong women from all walks of life. Featuring female icons from media, entertainment, business and sports talking about the factors behind their real career line – from their creativity, hard work and self-belief, we are humbled and delighted to count as campaign ambassadors, women like Olympic swimmer Stephanie Au, Freshfields Partner and China Chairman Teresa Ko, model Janet Ma, World Snooker Champion On-yee Ng, Founder of JupYeah Ren Wan and beauty blogger Hana Tam, writer and blogger Bud Ming, entrepreneur Kayla Wong and illustrator Stella So, who all feature in our "hero" film for the campaign. Other ambassadors for the campaign include Former Chief Secretary Anson Chan, Commission of Youth Chairman Ming Wai Lau, SCMP CEO Gary Liu, and leading gender academic experts Professor Susanne Choi of the Chinese University of Hong Kong and Professor Annie Chan of Lingnan University.
We would love your support! Here's what you can do to help:
First, please watch and share the hero film. If you feel moved to get involved and show your support for the campaign, we’ve created an online tool where you can create your own photo in the style of the campaign film. You can then post it on the website and on social media and invite friends to do the same. Visit www.realcareerline.hk where you can see examples of individuals who have uploaded their photos to the site. You can also organise a group shot with friends or colleagues like the examples on the website.
Secondly, as an employer, you can play your part by ensuring that your company is using objective criteria when assessing female candidates for job openings or promotions.
Thirdly, we hope media titles will think twice before using terms like 事業線 going forward and they will take more pains to represent women in a more authentic, three-dimensional and aspirational light.
Ultimately, our hope is that women and girls will take pride in and celebrate whatever it is that makes them exceptional, knowing that their true value and worth is based on far more than just their appearance.
