Discrimination Against Mothers 'routine': Study

"); jQuery("#212 h3").html("

Related News Programmes

"); jQuery(document).ready(function() { jwplayer.key='EKOtdBrvhiKxeOU807UIF56TaHWapYjKnFiG7ipl3gw='; var playerInstance = jwplayer("jquery_jwplayer_1"); playerInstance.setup({ file: "https://newsstatic.rthk.hk/audios/mfile_1455534_1_20190501185545.mp3", skin: { url: location.href.split('/', 4).join('/') + '/jwplayer/skin/rthk/five.css', name: 'five' }, hlshtml: true, width: "100%", height: 30, wmode: 'transparent', primary: navigator.userAgent.indexOf("Trident")>-1 ? "flash" : "html5", events: { onPlay: function(event) { dcsMultiTrack('DCS.dcsuri', 'https://news.rthk.hk/rthk/en/component/k2/1455534-20190501.mp3', 'WT.ti', ' Audio at newsfeed', 'WT.cg_n', '#rthknews', 'WT.cg_s', 'Multimedia','WT.es','https://news.rthk.hk/rthk/en/component/k2/1455534-20190501.htm', 'DCS.dcsqry', '' ); } } }); }); });

2019-05-01 HKT 18:55

Share this story

facebook

  • SOCO says many low-income mothers have been told to their face they won't be hired because they have young kids. Photo courtesy of SOCO.

    SOCO says many low-income mothers have been told to their face they won't be hired because they have young kids. Photo courtesy of SOCO.

Sze Lai-shan speaks to RTHK's Candice Wong

A survey released on Wednesday suggests it's not uncommon for employers to discriminate against women from poor families because they have young children.

The Society for Community Organisation (SOCO) interviewed around 200 women from low-income families. It said 37 respondents said prospective employers have openly told them that they wouldn't be hired either because they need to take care of young children, or because they cannot work on Sundays as a result.

SOCO spokeswoman Sze Lai-shan said it's against the law to discriminate against people based on their family status, and urged the government to punish violators.

She also accused both the administration and the Equal Opportunities Commission of failing to enforce the law effectively, saying as a result, many companies don’t even think discrimination on such grounds is even an issue.

Sze urged the government to implement family-friendly policies to allow parents to both be able to work and take care of their children and take steps to increase child-care services.

RECENT NEWS

OKI And Hitachi To Launch Joint Venture For ATM And Automated Equipment In October

OKI, Hitachi, and Hitachi Channel Solutions have announced that they have reached agreements to integrate their automat... Read more

The Race For Hong Kongs First Stablecoin Licenses Is Almost Over

I’ve been refreshing the Hong Kong Monetary Authority’s register of licensed stablecoin issuers frequently over the... Read more

HTF Securities And Alchemy Pay Expand Hong Kong Type 1 License For Virtual Assets

Alchemy Pay has announced that, in partnership with HTF Securities Limited, it has successfully expanded HTF Securities... Read more

Ping An Digital Bank Rebrands As Deposits Exceed HK$12 Billion

Ping An Digital Bank has introduced a new brand identity, aligning more closely with its parent, Ping An Insurance. The... Read more

Futus PantherTrade Launches Full-Scale Licensed Operations In Hong Kong

Futu has announced that its wholly-owned virtual asset trading platform, PantherTrade, has begun full-scale licensed op... Read more

Mastercard Enables AI Agent To Complete Live Ride-Booking Payment In South Korea

Mastercard has completed a live, authenticated agentic transaction in South Korea, marking a key development in AI-powe... Read more