Gender Studies in CUHK

Gender refers to the socially differentiated roles and characteristics attributed to the female and male biological sexes. Gender is therefore not inborn, but socially constructed. For example, the social identity of a woman and a man is defined in relation to each other. Gender is a salient schema in the study of people and society. It is commonly used as an underlying principle to structure perceptions about oneself or others, to guide behaviour, and to make decisions. It is an important dimension influencing human behaviour, social development and public policy. Neglected in the early studies of social science and humanities, the gender dimension is now transforming the subject matter, methodology and conceptual frameworks of traditional academic disciplines.

In the local context, more concern has been directed to gender issues recently. The passage of the Sex Discrimination Ordinance in 1995 and the establishment of the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) in 1996 have raised gender consciousness in the general public. In 2001, the Hong Kong SAR Government set up a Women's Commission to mainstream gender issues into policies and services.

In the international scene, the 1995 World Conference on Women in Beijing has brought international attention to the need to integrate academic and applied interests on women's concerns. In 1998, the APEC Ministerial Meeting on Women recognized the important role of women in economic development and identified the need for a Framework for the Integration of Women in APEC. In 1999, APEC set up an Advisory Group on Gender Integration to oversee the task of mainstreaming gender into APEC activities.

Gender is recognized globally as an important principle of social organization. The acquisition of knowledge and skills in understanding gender is thus requisite of the contemporary intellectual. The Gender Studies Programme at the Chinese University of Hong Kong is the first academic programme on gender studies in Hong Kong. It offers coursework and research opportunities with an inter-disciplinary team of faculty members. It provides students with a broad-based education in traditional academic disciplines while specializing in gender studies.