In celebrating International Women's Day, AQUMON hosted a webinar: Candid Conversations with Women Leaders, as we explored the different facets of the female identity in the workplace as well as at home. Our panelists shared their thoughts on gender-consciousness in specific industries, discussed the topic of gender-based challenges as well as how to further empower women to live life to the fullest.

 

 

Some interesting takeaways include:

 

1. Gender Neutrality is becoming the Norm

 

The discourse of gender-bias increasingly inclusive in Hong Kong, so that we no longer really see a deliberate distinction to focus on gender.  The world itself is becoming more "gender neutral" and that is one of the strongest argument for equality.  There will still be gender imbalances relating to certain industries due to mindful preferences: there tends to be much more female yoga instructors, and likewise in realms of data science and engineering, men are the majority.

 

However, thanks to the privilege of being in Hong Kong and getting domestic help, it is much more feasible for women who want to excel in their career.  Therefore, in the modern work environment we are looking for the "best fit" candidate based on their skills rather than their gender.

 

 

2. The unconscious and "reverse" bias

 

That is not to say there aren't any stereotypes, however they are very deeply ingrained and unconscious.  There are still challenges for women to breakthrough such as at board level or in habitual "socializing" activities preferred by different genders e.g Drinks with the boys.  In addition, modern-day women may face "reverse" bias, whereby a "successful woman" is to be seen to do it all - thriving career and super present family life. To an extent, the challenge to live up as a "superwoman", therefore one has to be mindful of these new pressures.

 

 

3. Empower Women Through Education

 

To really support women and empower them to achieve their goals, it is very much through education.  From the previous generation,women were educated to pursue certain topics such as finance or communications as a metric for success - whereas for the upcoming generation, women are equally encouraged to go into computer sciences and engineering.  Likewise to empower women to achieve true freedom, financial freedom is the key in allowing them to take charge of their lives. In order to achieve this, financial literacy is fundamental.

 

 

4. Women and Investing - How to get started?

 

As AQUMON's data shows, women generally start later than men when it comes to the age of investing.  However, women getting invested is on the rise, with 65% of AQUMON's 2021 account openings coming from women.  Hear some tips from our speakers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

About us

AQUMON is a Hong Kong based award-winning financial technology company. Our mission is to leverage smart technology to make next-generation investment services affordable, transparent and accessible to both institutional clients and the general public. Through its proprietary algorithms and scalable, technical infrastructure, AQUMON’s automated platform empowers anyone to invest and maximise their returns. AQUMON has partnered with more than 100 financial institutions in Hong Kong and beyond, including AIA, CMB Wing Lung Bank, ChinaAMC, and Guangzhou Rural Commercial Bank. Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, the Alibaba Entrepreneurs Fund, affiliate of BOC International Holdings Limited, Zheng He Capital Management and Cyberport are among AQUMON's investors. 

 

The brand is held under Magnum Research Limited and is licensed with Type 1, 4 and 9 under the Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) of Hong Kong. AQUMON is also licensed by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Asset Management Association of China (AMAC).

 

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