Gender Inequality Comparison: Japan, Hong Kong, China

This essay undertakes a comparative analysis of gender inequality in Japan, Hong Kong, and China, focusing on workforce participation, pay disparities, and societal progress. The study highlights that while China has seen significant advancements in women's involvement in the workforce, particularly at junior and senior levels, challenges remain regarding the middle management representation and payment inequalities. Japan, despite its technological advancements, lags in social consciousness regarding women's roles in corporate activities. Hong Kong presents a mixed picture with improvements in women's participation, but faces issues with pay gaps and limited maternity leave. The essay examines the historical, cultural, and economic factors influencing these trends, emphasizing the importance of addressing inequalities to foster economic growth and social development. It references various studies to support its arguments and provides a comprehensive overview of the current state of gender inequality in these Asian countries.

Running head: GENDER COMPARISON
Gender Comparison
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1GENDER COMPARISON
The main issue in this paper is regarding the issues related to the gender inequality.
Gender inequality has been a very major issue in many countries. However, Asia has suffered
most in this context since the countries in Asia have the low context culture and the
organizations will have to recruit the women in their workforce according to their skills and
capacity as well (Renzetti, Curran & Maier, 2012). The countries that will be considered to find
the answers are Japan, Hong Kong and China. The gender inequality in Japan has not been much
progressive in the participation of women in the workforce planning of the organizations. China
has been very much progressive in the participation of women in the organizations. The global
reports have said that China has outperformed all other countries in the participation of women
in the Asian continent. They beat the countries like Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, India and
others (Lise et al., 2014).
The participation of the women in the workforce has been most in China in the junior and
senior levels. However, the number of women employees in the middle section has not been that
much in China (Li, Sato & Sicular, 2013). The actual reason behind the women empowerment in
the workforce planning of China has been the most is the growth of economy and the rise of
China as the second largest economy in Asia. However, the historical and cultural backgrounds
in Japan have not been that much provocative for the women participation in the organizations.
The society of Japan has not progressed in the modern times so they can allow their women to
take part in the corporate activities. Japan is known to be the country that is very much advanced
in the technological sector. However, their social consciousness has not progressed that much as
yet (Li, Sato & Sicular, 2013).
Another important issue in this context is the advancement of the gender inequalities in
the country of Hong Kong (Low, Roberts & Whiting, 2015). One of the biggest inequalities that

2GENDER COMPARISON
has been observed is the inequality regarding the payments. The women in the organizations earn
less than the men. In this country, the place of women has been encouraged to gain the manager
spots. The society is currently encouraging the participation of women in the maximum numbers.
If the women can take part in the business, this will largely lead them to become the national role
models. More women will feel safe to enter the corporate world and this will be very much
helpful for them (Low, Roberts & Whiting, 2015). The economy of the country will improve as
well. The country has progressed a lot in terms of gender inequality in the last few years. One
very disappointing has been noticed regarding the gender inequality in Hong Kong is the fact of
maternity leaves. The women are given only 10 weeks maternity leave in this country. Thus the
women are deprived from their rights in the organizations. The gap of the payments has been
increasing as well (Lise et al., 2014).
The condition of China as per the gender inequality has been very much mixed. This has
been a very interesting issue in the workplaces in the country as well. The turnover rate among
women is very low indeed. This has caused much problem in this section. The payment
inequalities have also been a great issue in Chinese cities as well. Compared to Japan and China,
Hong Kong society has been much progressive in this context and they have been allowing their
women to take the benefits of the progressive mindset and setting their careers. The payment
inequalities will have to be sorted.

3GENDER COMPARISON
References
Li, S., Sato, H., & Sicular, T. (Eds.). (2013). Rising inequality in China: Challenges to a
harmonious society. Cambridge University Press.
Lise, J., Sudo, N., Suzuki, M., Yamada, K., & Yamada, T. (2014). Wage, income and
consumption inequality in Japan, 1981–2008: From boom to lost decades. Review of
Economic Dynamics, 17(4), 582-612.
Low, D. C., Roberts, H., & Whiting, R. H. (2015). Board gender diversity and firm performance:
Empirical evidence from Hong Kong, South Korea, Malaysia and Singapore. Pacific-
Basin Finance Journal, 35, 381-401.
Renzetti, C. M., Curran, D. J., & Maier, S. L. (2012). Women, men, and society.