Advertisement
Advertisement
-
TOPIC

Women and gender

Women and gender
News and analysis on women's rights, the gender gap, LGBTQ issues, sexual harassment, sexual minorities and masculinity in Asia and beyond.
Some parents may force their mentally unwell daughters into marriage for profit amid weak legal penalties for rights violations. Photo: Shutterstock
Two Sessions 2026

Alarm sounded on mentally disabled women forced into marriage in rural China

CPPCC member Jiang Shengnan calls for crisis intervention centres and reporting hotlines as part of comprehensive prevention mechanism.

videocam
Trending in China

Taiwan actress, 58, praised for ‘youthful’ looks opposes ‘female competition’

Style Edit

Style Edit: Chanel’s CC League empowers women athletes on and off the field

Trending in China

China actress, 75, sparks debate playing teen, kissing much younger actor in TV drama

Gender equality activist questions if same criticism would arise if a male actor 30 years older than his female co-star took on similar role.

Chinese actress Liu Xiaoqing, 75, recently sparked controversy by portraying a young woman in a mini-drama and engaging in a passionate kiss with a male actor 30 years her junior. Photo: SCMP composite/YouTube/Sina
Food and Drinks

Your Hong Kong weekend drinks guide for March 6-9

Celebrate International Women’s Day with unDer Lab’s scientific cocktails, Jin Bo Law Skybar’s city-inspired menu, and women bartenders’ star turns.

Australia

Australia’s best-paid jobs are twice as likely to go to men as to women

Industries that pay the most, such as mining and construction, tend to have the largest gender wage gaps, according to a report.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Trending in China

China entrepreneur, abandoned as child, owns fashion brand with US$36 million sales

Driven woman who came from parents who rarely remembered her name, dumped her on a mountainside, tells young women ‘there is hope’.

Despite a difficult childhood in a large family that favoured sons, Huang Xuanni established a highly successful e-commerce fashion brand. Photo: SCMP composite/Weibo/RedNote
United Nations

UN rights chief slams violence against women, calls it ‘a global emergency’

Volker Turk highlights the segregation of women in Afghanistan and sex trafficking cases against US financier Jeffrey Epstein as examples.

videocam
Wellness

It’s not ‘all in your head’: women’s pain really lasts longer, study finds

Myth-busting findings that immune system differences cause chronic pain to persist longer for women highlight the need for better treatment.

Lunar

Women driving the Winter Olympics

Women driving the Winter Olympics
Artificial intelligence

‘Digital public shaming’: Chinese AI tools under fire for pornographic deepfakes

Grass-roots group warns AI platforms have ‘sacrificed women’s right to safety’ as non-consensual sexualised images proliferate.

videocam
Doubao has emerged as the main AI tool for generating pornographic deepfakes in China, according to a feminist media collective. Photo: Shutterstock
Donald Trump

US women’s ice hockey captain responds to ‘distasteful’ Trump remark

Hilary Knight, who led her squad to an Olympic gold medal, says the president’s joke overshadowed the achievements of American athletes.

Reality TV

Korean reality dating show reignites discussion on gender norms

Malaysia

The silent crisis facing Malaysian women stranded in Indonesia

Trapped by financial woes after marrying local men in Lombok, many Malaysian women struggle to return home.

Many Malaysian women stranded in Indonesia face poverty and separation, unable to return home. Photo: Shutterstock
Chinese culture

Opinion | Lunar New Year doesn’t need a home-cooked feast to be full of flavour

The most important thing isn’t if you cooked the food yourself or followed tradition to the letter – it’s being with people you care about.

videocam
People enjoy their reunion dinner at a restaurant in Hong Kong’s Mong Kok district on February 12, ahead of the Lunar New Year. Photo: Sam Tsang
France

French rape survivor Pelicot says mindsets need to change

On the eve of her memoir’s release, Gisele Pelicot gives candid interviews about the druggings and rapes that shocked the world.

Britain

Social media ‘weaponises’ children, says UK expert on gender healthcare

The ‘tiny’ number who will ‘never be comfortable’ with their biological sex need support as well as those who will ‘grow out of this’.

videocam
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Wellness

8 hot wellness trends in 2026, from women’s longevity to ‘health raves’

Here are some of the top wellness trends predicted for 2026, including a focus on women’s health, ‘neurowellness’ and reducing over-tracking.

One of the top wellness trends expected in 2026 is a rise of wearables designed to help quiet the brain’s neural activity, such as EEG sensor headbands like this one from Muse. Photo: choosemuse.com
Entertainment

Hong Kong’s Miss Nepal hopeful follows in mother’s footsteps

Trending in China

China exit of top German lingerie brand as women prefer comfort, reject male gaze

Popularity of going braless plus growing desire for practicality sees purveyors of wire-free underwear brands push up sales.

Hong Kong population

Opinion | Boost birth rates? Governments should focus on the population they have

Instead of growing the population at all costs, governments should be practically addressing longer life expectancies.

videocam
7
People shop with their pets in New Town Plaza in Sha Tin, on September 21, 2025. Photo: Sam Tsang
Iran

Iran sentences Nobel laureate to 7 more years amid stand-off with US

As Iran extends the jail term for Narges Mohammadi, its foreign minister strikes a maximalist position after US talks.

A mural with a picture of Iran’s Supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, on a street in Tehran, Iran. Photo: West Asia News Agency via Reuters
Malaysia

Woman ejected from Malaysia biker event over ‘too revealing’ dress

Some 30 women were also given headscarves at the RXZ Forever Legend motorcycling rally in Kelantan.

Trending in China

China women pay for ‘companions’ in role-playing games, spark love debate

Sociologists suggest that many Chinese women view role-playing games as a safe, low-risk opportunity to ‘rehearse romance’.

Hong Kong society

Hong Kong’s Miss Nepal hopeful follows in mother’s pageant footsteps 32 years on

Hong Kong-born Deepmala Kharel Dhakal’s national crown bid highlights pride and spirit of city’s Nepalese community.

Deepmala Kharel Dhakal, who was crowned the winner of the Miss Nepal Hong Kong International beauty pageant. Photo: Jonathan Wong
Lunar

‘Family reunion’ case in China reveals troubling concerns

‘Family reunion’ case in China reveals troubling concerns
Middle East

Road to equality? Iran formally allows women to ride motorcycles

In a country where women’s public presence is heavily regulated, the right to operate a vehicle is a powerful indicator of shifting social boundaries.

videocam
Nordic nations

Norway royal’s son pleads not guilty to four counts of rape, amid Epstein link scandal

Crown Princess Mette-Marit’s son Marius Borg Hoiby faces 38 charges, including rape and assault, risking 16 years in prison.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Help preserve 120 years of quality journalism.
SUPPORT NOW
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement