Recently the world celebrated International Women’s Day, and so for this, our 150th issue, CLOSER decided to speak with a number of impressive and accomplished local women about their experiences growing up, living and working in Macau. And perhaps not surprisingly, they all generally agreed that Macau is quite a good place to live as woman.
Whilst there may be some degree of discrimination at times, it is certainly not a rampant problem. Women largely have a high degree of economic and social freedom, good access to education and career opportunities, and support from the government for families and entrepreneurial endeavors. The city is also comparatively safe, and although women are still under-represented in leadership positions, there are a number of female leaders in prominent positions in the government and business. Nonetheless, some discrimination does exist, the ‘glass ceiling’ can still be an obstacle, and traditional stereotypes of how women should behave and look can still have an impact on young women as they try to forge a path for their lives.
We are very thankful to all the women who shared their views with us. Some may be familiar to you, others perhaps not, but they all represent women who have been successful in their chosen fields. Some are currently dealing with the challenges of balancing motherhood and their work, while others are at an earlier stage of their career journey. Regardless, they have all shared with us their experiences and perspectives on life as a woman in Macau, so hopefully this is informative and educational for us all.
Also in these pages, we talk to Chef DeAille Tam, executive chef and co-founder of Obscura in Shanghai, who recently won the title of Asia’s Best Female Chef 2021. We catch up with Macau-born political activist Ivy Teng Lei and learn about her struggles to achieve legal status in the US for herself and millions of other DREAMers. And we commemorate the amazing life of Dona Aida Jesus, the founder of the Riquexó restaurant and matriarchal figure in the Macanese community who passed away in March at the age of 105. Finally, in our Q&A section, we get to know Pamela Chan, Head of Marketing at Taipa Village Destination Limited, and Vice President of Taipa Village Cultural Association’s executive board.
There are many more stories in this story that we hope you will enjoy reading, but for now, the Macau CLOSER team wishes to extend our appreciation to all our readers and partners, as we celebrate our 14th anniversary and our 150th issue. We believe that this is quite a milestone for a local independent publication. Since we published our first issue, the city and the media industry have undergone tremendous changes and developments. Many of these changes have presented great opportunities for us, but some have also created great challenges. Technology, and in particular the Internet, smartphones and social media, have revolutionized the way we access and consume information. And of course the past year has challenged all businesses, as we try to adapt in the era of COVID-19.
Fortunately, CLOSER has navigated all these ups and downs, and, with your support, we are still here. And we hope to be here for many more years and issues to come, updating and improving our content, format and platforms, to continue bringing you interesting stories about our great city and it’s fascinating people and events.
Thanks again to you all for your ongoing support!
Happy Reading!
