Playtimes HK Magazine February 2018 Issue | Page 44

features
In Hong Kong, the
wage gap has grown
from 19.1 percent to
22.2 percent in the
last decade. This may
put women at risk
of suffering from a
lowered self-esteem
often regarded as one of the easiest
places globally to establish a business
and boasts an impressive 45 per cent
women-owned businesses versus 55 per
cent male-owned businesses. However,
female-owned businesses tend to remain
small in Hong Kong, making up just 19
per cent of high-growth entrepreneurs.
The fact that women lag in growth in
Hong Kong exposes a possible symptom
of a lowered confidence amongst other
issues.
The question lingers: Why has
lowered self-esteem become prominent
for women in wealthy, egalitarian
countries where the presumption of
equal rights is evident?
Genetics
One theory suggests that genetics
may play a role in the confidence gap.
Across cultures, self-esteem seemed
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to follow a similar pattern in both
genders taking a dip in the teenage
years, thereafter ascending through
adulthood. Men, however, had higher
levels of confidence than females
throughout adolescence and adulthood.
The study theorises that hormonal
fluctuations or universal gender roles
may be a contributing factor to the
confidence gap. As certain countries
exposed a greater disparity between
genders in adulthood, inevitably there
are other elements to consider.
The Economic Gap
Another issue that may contribute to the
confidence disparity is the wage gap
across genders. The World Economic
Forum’s 2017 index revealed the
economic gender gap is continuing
to widen. In Hong Kong, the wage
gap has grown from 19.1 per cent to