Reenita's Wisdom

Hong Kong women are celebrated for their style, glamour and a certain je ne sais quoi that is commonly perceived to result from the power of their purse. But even though women are freer, more educated, and enjoy more legal protection than they did just 20 years ago, “success” is still a long shot.

Young women fill in application forms at job fair (The Standard)

In 1997, Hong Kong signed the UN Convention for the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women, which calls for 50 percent female representation in leadership positions in governments, political parties, trade unions and other groups. Despite this, startling gender inequalities are woven into Hong Kong’s socio-economic fabric – creating a huge barrier to female success.

Various research points to a clear gender gap vis-a-vis leadership positions, especially political leadership.

“People generally think there is equality,” says former legislator Mandy Tam Heung-man. “But, in fact, the inequality is subtle, because now women have higher educations, and there are more female professionals. Even in the government’s senior posts, there are more women, but if you look closely at the government’s structure, only two to three females are officials.”

In corporate life, with lower salaries and fewer promotion opportunities than men, women do not share an equal voice in decision-making – a huge cause for concern in a society where women comprise 54 percent of university graduates, and 47 percent of the workforce.

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Since China was declared the world’s largest emitter of greenhouse gases in 2006, talk in international economic circles has revolved around the wisdom behind imposing a tax on carbon heavy industry.

Marathon Oil’s CFO sees carbon taxes becoming a reality

Not that a tax will necessarily mitigate the effects of emissions but it can certainly penalize industry for contributing to a high carbon environment. However, if indeed the reality of such a tax is looming, it is still quite far. [...]

Pushpalata Vij (1922-2010)

The Indic culture believes that each of us is named for a reason. Names are not a reflection of your parent’s whim but a symbolic reference of your life purpose. Rarely though in our frenzied existence, do we stop to think about the reason behind why we were named.

Last week, when my grandmother passed, I reflected on her name, Pushpalata.

Pushpa translates from Sanskrit as flower, and lata, a creeping vine. The former is easier to make sense of -  through the seasons of life, my grandmother’s garden embodied the florescence of beauty, purity and simplicity. More subtle however is the creeping vine; it grows out along the ground, rooting every so often to enhance the striking presence of other plants with its own understated yet beautiful border. This  was my grandmother, Pushpalata Vij. [...]

At the outset of every new year, one begins to speculate on how the days will unfold and how one’s dreams and desires will play out. In Hong Kong, people look not only at the fact that we are in January of 2010 but also that we are on the eve of a new Chinese Year of the Tiger.

2010 is the Chinese Year of the Tiger (Src: Flick.com/Digitalart)

Associated with passion, power and explosive personality, one can only begin to imagine what the Year of Tiger means for China. [...]