Pioneer of Equal Right 4 (Chinese Only)
According to article 9 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) of the United Nations, all states parties should recognize the right of everyone to social security, including social insurance.
As an applicable territory under the Convention, it is necessary for Hong Kong to establish a social protection system, so that the community can share the risks brought about by an aging population. However, there is still no universal retirement protection in Hong Kong. At present, retirement protection in Hong Kong is mainly based on the MPF system, which, however, is linked to "paid work", and many women, bound by traditional values and caring responsibilities, are unable to work. Women account for over 97% of the 640,000 unpaid family caregivers. In order words, tens of thousands of female domestic helpers in Hong Kong are excluded from the MPF system. Worse still, women are still mostly engaged in sporadic and low-paying jobs due to their family status, so their MPF contribution rates tend to be lower, which will easily lead to gender and social class discrimination and worsen the problem of feminization of poverty. Currently, one out of three elderly people live below the poverty line. Poverty is not only about not having enough money, but also about living in anxiety and uncertainty.
At present, the government mainly offers public pensions and elderly welfare benefits. However, the annuity system itself requires retirees to contribute to the MPF or other funds and then pay out dividends. The amount of monthly annuity payments is not based on the health condition of the individual. Consequently, women receive fewer monthly annuity payments than men as they usually outlive their male counterparts. This measure is undoubtedly sexist and ignores the need for retirement protection for grassroots women, exacerbating the problems of poverty and discrimination.