BPW History

The International Federation of Business and Professional Women (IFBPW)* was founded by Dr. Lena Madesin Phillips in 1930. Dr Phillips challenged leading women in Europe and the United States to form an international organisation to support and promote women in business and in the professions. The organisation was founded under the name of the International Federation of Business and Professional Women (IFBPW) and began on August 26, 1930 with 16 member countries.

Through its connection with the United Nations, IFBPW has become one of the most influential international women's organisations. Two years after the United Nations was founded, IFBPW was one of the first women’s organisations to be granted Consultative Status with the United Nations in 1947.

Today, BPW International is one of the Five-O organisations, together with the Council of Women, the Federation of University Women, Soroptimists and Zonta, who are invited to give statements at each of the U.N. agencies based in New York, Geneva, Paris, Vienna, Bangkok and Seoul.

(The official name of IFBPW was recently changed and it is now known as Business and Professional Women International (BPW International)

Beginnings

The origins of HKABPW stem from a visit to Hong Kong in June 1979 by Ruth Ross, the then IFBPW Vice-President. On October 5th that year formal elections took place and Maria Tam became the first president of HKABPW.

In May 1980 IFBPW celebrated its Golden Anniversary at Montreux, Switzerland, and Pat Chang, who attended as the official Hong Kong delegate, was presented with our Charter of Affiliation to IFBPW. Pat returned with glowing reports of the Congress and within a year HKABPW was asked to host the 1982 IFBPW Board Meeting. Over 100 official delegates met at the newly-opened Shangri-La Hotel in Tsim Sha Tsui. Workshops and official business occupied five days and social gatherings in the evenings included the largest Tram Party – 17 trams – that Hong Kong Tramways had ever undertaken.

During an official visit by IFBPW President Maxine Hays in June 1981, HKABPW discussed various important issues with the Hong Kong Government. These included:

• the need to ratify the 1980 U.N. Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW)
• separate taxation for women
• the provision of child care centres for working mothers

Maria Tam and Ruth Ross

HKABPW Presidents 1979-2004

To read more about BPW History click here

Campaigns and Legislations

Since 1979 HKABPW has campaigned to improve the status of and opportunities for women and girls in Hong Kong. The Association has been closely involved with the passage of many significant laws to protect and improve women's rights.

For more information on the campaigns and legislative issues supported and advocated by the Hong Kong Association of Business and Professional Women, please go to the following section on Campaigns and Legislations (About Legislation) .