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The report draws on two main sources for its research and findings:In June 2015 the EIU surveyed 1,000 women from Hong Kong, all of whom were aged 40 years or above and identify as being of Chinese ethnicity. For the purposes of this report the sample was split into three age brackets: 40-49, 50-64 and 65+.
Hong Kong’s population is getting older. Future generations of adults will spend more time in retirement than ever before. This demographic trend has ramifications for every working-age person planning for retirement, and above all for women, who will be particularly affected simply because they tend to live longer than men, but also because a larger number are now providing for themselves.
There are currently more than twice as many women than men in Hong Kong over the age of 85. The difference between the number of men and women in this so-called oldest old-age group—currently standing at 50,000—is forecast to quadruple by 2050 (see figure 1: Gender gap never gets old). The prospect of a longer life should be a cause for celebration among Hong Kong’s female population. Yet younger generations of women feel they are in a worse position than their parents.
This report examines the career decisions, lifestyle choices and financial arrangements that Hong Kong’s current working population of women is making—or not making— in preparation for a longer and more independent retirement. It draws on two main sources for its research and findings: a survey of 1,000 women in Hong Kong and interviews with academics and experts on the subject.
