This Is Why Hong Kong's Women Are Fighting for Men
The gender balance is skewed and the city has a growing number of females compared to males.
Hong Kong, we have a gender imbalance on our hands. Ladies, get ready to fight for a man.
Recent figures from Census and Statistics Department (CSD) show that the number of females in Hong Kong significantly exceeds that of males. Hong Kong’s sex ratio—the number of males to 1,000 females—has dropped to 856. That ratio’s harsher in Wan Chai, where there are less than 800 men to 1000 women.
The CSD includes foreign domestic helpers in the count—mostly women—numbering about 300,000 as of last November. Setting aside foreign domestic helpers, the proportion between men and women is somewhat less striking—there are then 923 men for every 1000 women.
The sex ratio hasn’t always been skewed towards females: In 1981, men outnumbered women by numbering just over half of Hong Kong’s population. Twenty years later, the number of Hong Kong’s women outpaced its men. That number is still growing. So, what happened?
Leslie Tang Wai-king, Commissioner of the CSD, says Hong Kong’s women are living a longer life. They’re taking the longevity crown with an average lifespan of around 87 years, while the city’s men average about 78 years.
