The 2008 Legislative Council election will be held on Sunday, 7 September 2008. Have you already made up your mind which candidate (or list of candidates) you will vote for? Do they care about what you are most concerned? Do they care about women’s situation in Hong Kong and their needs?
　

According to Women and Men in Hong Kong – Key Statistics recently published by Census and Statistics Department, the number of female directorate officers has increased and the number of male directorate officers has dropped in recent years. However, the number of male directorate officers is still 2.4 times the number of female directorate officers. Currently, 19% of District Councillors are female, which just represents a 1% increase since 2003. Such an increase is the result of persistent work in the area of women’s rights, but there is a lot more to be done.

Women are learning about the relationship
between the Legislative Council and them

HER Fund supported Hong Kong Women’s Centre to launch a training program during the election period with the hope to raise the awareness of women’s participation in public affairs and to help women better understand their political right and right to participate. Over 10 women just completed their 6-session “Women Civic Leaders Training Course” in July 2008. They then conducted street opinion polls in Sham Shui Po in August 2008 in order to find out what female voters think. HER Fund visited the “Women Civic Leaders” and talked to them about political participation.

All career women, Elsie, Ah Ling and Ah Yin took part in the training program. They did not quite understand what “politics” and “civic participation” mean. What brought them to the program?
　

Elsie︰My work has given me the opportunity to meet with senior government officials, but I do not really know who is who and what they do. When I heard about this training program, I thought I could pretty much apply the skills acquired to my job. That’s why I am here!
　

Ah Ling︰I used to be politically apathetic. I did not know much about Legislative Council, the policy bureaus. I felt that I was not really connected to the society. I wanted to learn more.
　

Ah Yin︰I have been a volunteer for 6 months. I want to kill time and learn something new.
　

Elsie, Ah Ling and Ah Yin are all registered voters. They just briefly read candidates’ platforms and made their decisions in the past. After the training program, how will they make their decisions?
　

Elsie︰After the training, I have developed more interest in political issues. In addition to paying more attention to their platforms, I will also find out if the candidate(s) care about women and the public.
　

Ah Ling︰I have come to learn more about the Legislative Council and how it works. During our visit to the Legislative Council, I realized that quite a lot of legislatures did not really show their respect for the Council. Other than candidates’ platforms, I will also look at their track records, say for example, if they have ever fallen asleep during Legislative Council meetings, if they have done anything to mislead the public, if they have listened to the public or if they have tried to fight for changes.
　

Ah Yin︰I will pay attention to candidates’ platforms, just like what I did in the past. I will also find out if they show respect for the Council (when they were legislators).
　

A Legislative Council election forum was held on 23 August 2008 to encourage women to speak out and have their voices heard by the candidates. What concern Elsie, Ah Ling and Ah Yin most? What do they want to see the candidates doing?
　

Ah Ling︰I care about employment issues. Many mid-aged people are unemployed or underpaid. I would like to see them being more aware of our needs, more open-minded and concentrate more on their work at the Legislative Council.

Elsie︰I exercise in parks every morning and I have realized that there are fewer and fewer trees around. Not much shades for us now. I hope they can do more to green the area and there should be more parks for kids.

Ah Yin︰Hope they can help us tackle inflation.
　

Ah Ling, Elsie and Ah Yin all have different demands, but one can see that their concerns are not go beyond their individual selves. They care about their families, friends and even the general public. Women’s views, traditionally, are represented by men, in particular during formal and open occasions. They do not realize the importance of their own viewpoints. As Ah Yin said, “It’s just me. It’s futile.”

Politics is closely connected to our daily lives and all policies will have an impact on women one way or the other. Who’s making the decisions is surely a political decision. Enhancing women’s political right and participation is of crucial importance. We need to invest more time and resources, so that over half of the Hong Kong population can be heard.
　

Women are participating the activity enthusiastically
in the training session.

Are you actively taking part in public affairs? Are you supporting more women to air their opinions?
　

To promote grassroots women's civic participation in 2008 Legislative Council Election. By organizing workshops, interviews and meetings with LegCo election candidates, women are empowered to present their concerns and social issues related to their well being in order to affect the candidates’ orientation and policy formulation.

Just completed the training program and participants are conducting street surveys to explore what concerns women most.

Source:
Note 1: Hong Kong Census and Statistics Department, "Women and Men in Hong Kong – Key Statistics 2008"

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