Upcoming Events
Tue, 25 Jun4.36, 4/F, Run Run Shaw Tower25 Jun 2019, 5:30 pm4.36, 4/F, Run Run Shaw Tower, Centennial Campus, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
ABOUT
Closing The Gap
Come join us for an evening of stimulating discussion, interesting viewpoints, and reflection as we explore the role of gender in the modern workplace!
“Closing the Gap” is a panel discussion event focusing on gender equality and diversity in Hong Kong. Prominent influential voices from different ethnic and career backgrounds – including the arts, business and entrepreneurship, and the social sciences – will share the challenges and triumphs they experienced in navigating the complexities of gender and leadership. They will also examine the ways in which societal trends, language, and stereotypes influence how we perceive gender in our daily lives, both at work and university.
This event is supported by the HKU Knowledge Exchange Fund granted by the University Grants Committee, which aims to positively impact society by delivering information from experts and engaging individuals from different fields in order to enhance social and cultural well-being.
PANELISTS
Dr. Benjamin Au Yeung
Scholar in Linguistics & Actor
Dr. Benjamin Au Yeung, is a scholar in Linguistics. Apart from his career in academia, Dr. Au Yeung is also a host, an actor and a former senior lecturer at the Chinese University of Hong Kong’s Department of Chinese Language and Literature.
Dr. Au Yeung writes columns for “Ming Pao”. His passages are extended to other media platforms, such as “Hong Kong Economic Journal”, “The Sing Tao Daily” and “Oriental Daily News” as well. In the movement of Cantonese conservation, he supports the promotion of Cantonese and the use of traditional Chinese characters, determined to save Cantonese from a slow death.
He is most famous for his TV shows, in which he explains the use of Cantonese words and grammar through humour and history. In 2016, he was nominated for the “Best Host” by “TVB Awards Presentation 2016” when he appeared on a local television programme, “Sermon By Sir Ben”. Combining academia and entertainment, Dr Au Yeung will take a linguistic approach to discussing gender inequality, discussing how our languages in Hong Kong (Chinese, English and Cantonese) reflect gender in/equality, and how the use of language can be a measurement of this.
HOSTS & MODERATORS
Dr. Elizabeth LaCouture
Gender Studies Programme and History, School of Humanities, HKU
Dr. Elizabeth LaCouture is the founding director of the Gender Studies Programme at the University of Hong Kong. She trained as a historian of Chinese gender history at Columbia University, and taught history and East Asian studies at Colby College in the United States.
Her book on the history of family, house and home in Tianjin China is forthcoming, and her current research is on the history of beauty and cosmetics in the Chinese world.
MC
Ms. Charlotte Chan
HKU Student
Ms. Charlotte Chan is a student at the University of Hong Kong’s Faculty of Dentistry. She is currently an exchange student at Northwestern University studying psychology, English, and finance.
Having volunteered at RainLily, Hong Kong’s first rape crisis centre, Ms. Chan now works for Mind Hong Kong. Alongside fundraising and event planning, Ms. Chan is the content coordinator for Coolminds, a mental health website and app for young adults launching in late 2019.
At Northwestern University, Ms. Chan is involved with Girl Up, a student group sponsored by the Buffett Institute that works with the UN Foundation’s Girl Up campaign to ensure that girls in the countries of Ethiopia, Guatemala, Malawi, and Liberia are educated, healthy, safe, and positioned to be the next generation of leaders. She is also a part of Students Promoting Education, Awareness and Knowledge (SPEAK) for Change, an activist group that challenges the normalisation of sexual assault, dating violence, and domestic violence on campus communities.