Gender inequities after the implementation of equal opportunities legislation : a study of Japanese retail firms in Hong Kong

This study examines equal opportunities for women employees in two four retail companies in Hong Kong; two of the companies Japanese-owned (Tairo and Okadaya). Research conducted in Hong Kong shows that gender inequality persists in the workplace. This paper initially examines various explanations for gender inequality put forward by scholars. Since EO legislation - the Sex Discrimination Ordinance (SDO) - was introduced in Hong Kong in 1996, little research has done to explain why gender inequality persists after SDO has been implemented. It can be understood though by examining the gendering processes experienced by individual employees. Concealed gendering processes (re)producing gender segregation and inequality based on hegemonic power, institutional, structural, interaction and identity -arrangements are identified. Several gendering processes - \u27sticky floor\u27 and glass ceiling, token positions in top management, passive adherence to equal employment opportunities legislation, a dominant perception of gender equality, and gendered career paths - are identified in the case organisations