According to a speech by the Chief Executive of HKSAR (Lam, 2020), females fill around 35 per cent of managerial positions in Hong Kong, and the workforce participation rate for women (51%) is much lower than that of men (68.5%). This rate is behind those of Hong Kong’s regional neighbours, including Australia, Malaysia, and Singapore. However, in newsrooms, the gender equality situation appears to be better than the overall employment pattern in Hong Kong.
According to an HKJA study conducted in 2011, the ratio of female and male newsroom staff was almost balanced at 51/49. While there is no updated data available, the current ratio appears to be similar. There was a general impression among the respondents that there were more female journalists present in the newsroom than male journalists. There is believed to be no difference between male and female journalists in terms of promotion opportunities and salaries, although there are no formal rules or regulations that enforce equal standards. Female journalists have equal opportunities to take on leading positions in the newsroom, and many female journalists have gone on to hold leading positions, such as editor-in-chief or managing editor, within leading news companies. However, almost all the editors-in-chief of the leading companies are male, reflecting a continuing trend of men holding most managerial positions in Hong Kong news media.
Equality in pay might be due to the generally low salaries paid to journalists in Hong Kong. The 2011 HKJA survey found that the monthly salary of 75 per cent of the respondents was below HKD 20,000, with a median salary range of HKD 12,000–15,000, despite around 60 per cent of the respondents holding degrees, and 16 per cent holding postgraduate qualifications. For comparison, the median monthly income of the general working population in 2011 was HKD 11,000. 40 per cent of the senior editors – a group that includes team leaders, assignment editors, and deputy assignment editors – were considering changing jobs (HKJA, 2011). Our interview with the chairperson of the HKJA suggested that the situation has not improved, and many new reporters quit the industry within a year or two.
All interviewees reported challenges for new mothers in the newsroom. Maternity leave has only recently been increased to 14 weeks, which is still a lot less generous than in the neighbouring Singapore and Australia. The newsrooms may accommodate new mothers with a temporary breastfeeding room, but do not have a fixed breastfeeding space.
