In October 2020, The Women's Foundation submitted a response to the Policy Address Public Consultation. We are pleased to submit a range of recommendations to Government and believe that addressing current challenges and inequalities will not only support the women and girls of our city but bring benefits and opportunities to help Hong Kong prosper as a whole.

Our recommendations focused on seven areas:

• Holistic approach needed to boost female workforce participation and to increase the number of women in leadership positions, which includes addressing flexwork options, caregiving responsibilities, board diversity, the motherhood penalty and tackling the gender pay gap
• Increased support for women in poverty, particularly around MPF protection and income support for vulnerable groups as well as tackling the digital divide
• Greater protections and preventative measures around sexual violence, including bringing the recommendations in the Review of Substantive Sexual Offences into law as well as improved protections against domestic violence, online violence, and voyeurism.
• Stronger, targeted protections for vulnerable groups of women and girls, particularly ethnic minorities, Foreign Domestic Workers and LGBT+ communities
• Tackling gender stereotypes in all spheres across the city including education, the workplace, and all forms of media
• Increase the availability and accessibility of gender disaggregated data so that all sectors can be better informed and enact gender sensitive policies and initiatives
• Incorporating gender sensitivity into COVID-19 recovery plans with specific attention to employment, mental health services, domestic violence protections, unequal access technology, and specific groups of women hit hard by COVID-19