In Hong Kong, women and men have equal right to vote and stand for elections. Whilst there were still far more male than female candidates who stood for election as members of different Government Councils, the number of female candidates had registered significant growth over the past 2 decades or so. Except for the age group 71 and over, the turnout rates for both sexes were broadly similar across all age groups in recent years. Males aged 71 and over still had higher turnout rates than their female counterparts in various elections.
The Government provides supports to members of the community who are in need of financial or material assistance to address their basic needs through a non-contributory social security system. The number of females receiving various types of assistance is in general more than that of males.