On Thursday’s Backchat, we tell about women’s health in Hong Kong. Although statutory maternity leave has been extended to 14 weeks, it still lags far behind many cities in China and around the world. Questions are also being asked about whether the government is doing enough to support the various health issues that women face, especially after the recent controversy over comments by Hong Kong’s health chief who seemed to suggest there was little point trying to give birth past the age of 40.

So what kind of heath challenges do working women—who now constitute slightly over half of the local workforce—face? And what more can be done to support them?

Later in the programme, we talk to a social worker about the expected rapid rise in the number of elderly from Hong Kong’s ethnic minority groups.