The Macau government has pledged to constantly promote the protection of women and their development in various aspects.
The Social Welfare Bureau (IAS) acknowledged women’s contributions to the city’s socioeconomic development, including their intensive participation in the fight against COVID-19, in a statement on Monday, on the eve of the International Women’s Day.
Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the statement said, “many” women in the working population in Macau have been working on the frontline against COVID-19, in addition to their role of taking care of their families while working. The statement also said that women in Macau have accounted for over 70 percent of staff working for the health, education and social service sectors since the COVID-19 pandemic. Women have made “important” contributions to the protection of residents’ lives, the statement said.
The statement said that by drawing up new pieces of legislation and amendments to the legal system and formulating relevant policies and measures, the local government has been constantly working to ensure that women enjoy the same opportunities as their male counterparts in various aspects such as health care, education, employment, safety and welfare, to strengthen the protection of women’s rights, and to increase their occupational and professional capabilities and social status.
The statement pointed out that the official statistics on the education sector indicate that females accounted for 56 percent of the total number of students enrolled in local higher education institutions in the academic year 2020/21, demonstrating that women in Macau, the statement said, enjoy the same opportunities as men in receiving higher education.
The statement also noted that “many” women in Macau are assuming leadership and senior management posts in both the public and private sectors.
The statement pointed out that the government has been promoting the concept of “gender mainstreaming” since 2019 by hosting various lectures and presentation sessions.
According to the websites of various international organisations, the aim of gender mainstreaming is to take into account the various intrinsic differences between men and women when designing, implementing and evaluating public policies, programmes and projects, so as to ensure that gender equality is fully achieved.
Monday’s statement also said that the local government will continue rolling out more public policies and measures that take into account gender differences.
According to the statement, the local government will continue its efforts this year in strengthening the protection of women, such as the prevention and treatment of women’s gambling addiction, stronger protection and support for domestic violence victims, and organisation of parent-education programmes.
