Females remain dominant in Hong Kong's sex ratio, as the number of men per 1,000 women fell continuously - from 1,087 in 1981 to 921 in 2005.

In the latest edition of Women & Men in Hong Kong- Key Statistics, the Census & Statistics Department attributed the drop to the large inflow of female one-way permit holders from the Mainland and the importation of female foreign domestic helpers.

Women's fertility rates rebound

Married women have outnumbered married men since 2002. But the proportion of married women (56.7%) in the female population aged 15 and over was still smaller than that for their male counterparts (61.7%) in 2005.

The median age at first marriage has risen steadily for both women and men. The figure for women was 28 years and that for men was 31.2 years in 2005.

Compared with 2003, the fertility rates for women showed a rebound in 2004 and 2005 in virtually all age groups, except for women in the age groups of 15-19 and 20-24.

Female labour force soars

During the period from 1986 to 2005, the female labour force increased 63.1% while the male labour force rose 15.4%.

The increase in the female labour force participation rate was partly due to the fact that more women could join the labour force as a result of better education and the employment of foreign domestic helpers to take up housework.

The unemployment rate for women was lower than that for men. Jobless women also had a shorter duration of unemployment than jobless men in 2005.

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