The Youth Forum on Gender Equality: Re-examining Gender Roles in the 21st century was held on 20 January at the Esther Lee Building. The forum was jointly organized by the Consulate General of Sweden, the Equal Opportunities Commission, and the Faculty of Social Science and the Gender Research Centre of CUHK. It was an extended part of the seminar 'Advancement in Gender Equality ─ The Swedish and Hong Kong Stories' held on 19 January at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.
Prof. Fanny Cheung, Director of the Gender Research Centre, Prof. Paul Lee, Dean of Social Science, Mr. Raymond Tang, Chairperson of Equal Opportunities Commission, Mrs. Boel Evander, Consul General of Sweden and Mrs. Cecilia Reimers of the Swedish Institute officiated at the opening ceremony. Prof. Choi Po-king of Department of Educational Administration and Policy and Dr. Trisha Leahy of Hong Kong Sports Institute were the masters of ceremony.
The objective of the forum is to encourage young people to start thinking about gender equality from an early age. Sweden is one of the most advanced countries in promoting gender equality. Ms. Gunilla Sterner, adviser in the Ministry of Integration and Gender Equality in Sweden, and Dr. Lars Plantin, Malmo University, and a Swedish expert spoke on the topic of parenthood and work. They were joined by Prof. Eric Ma from the School of Journalism and Communication and Prof. Maria Tam of the Department of Anthropology of CUHK, who shared their views on how women and men integrate their work and family roles. Ms. Cheung Hoi Yan and Ms. Mary Ann King, alumnae of the Gender Studies Programme, explored the situation of women working in male-dominant professions. Finally, Prof. Grace Mak of the Hong Kong Institute of Education and Mr. Stephen Yip of the Education and Manpower Bureau discussed the changing gender stereotypes in schools. Over 100 teachers and students from local universities and secondary schools participated in the interactive discussion session in the afternoon.
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