Dr. C.K.Chu , Associate Professor cum Dean of the School of Social Science,

2. Is the Family Dying or Ceasing to Exist?Versus Is the Family just Undergoing Drastic Changes & Radical Transformation ONLY?CHALLENGES CONFRONTING FAMILIESTODAY Dr. C.K.Chu, Associate Professor cum Dean of the School of Social Science, Caritas Institute of Higher Education

3. Doing Families in Hong Kong Shae Wan-Chaw & Wong Pik-Wan (2009) Family Ideology and Family Policy in Hong Kong in Bian Yan-jie, Chan Kwok-bun and Cheung Tak-sing, edited, Social Transformation in Chinese Societies: Doing Families in Hong Kong. Vol.4. Hong Kong Sociological Association. Leiden ; Boston : Brill, 2009, p. 271-273.

4. Research on families • A battle ground of ideologies • The Left, feminist, post-modern, liberal inclined ideologies vs The Right, Church, Neo-Conservatist ideologies • Pro-Family • Families is disintegrating & we’ve got to do something to save it • Vs Liberalization of family • Relaxed! Families are adapting & undergoing adjustment to meet our changing needs, including its dissolution

5. Hong Kong’s Dominant Familial Ideology (and its Internal Contradictions) • Conservative, middle-of-the-road, to reformist discourse (familial arrangement & relationships to be strengthened are important basis for reproduction of gender inequality) • Cherishing the family • “Cherishing the family is a core value of the community, and family harmony is the foundation of social harmony… the key lies in establishing a family-based support network & forging closer & harmonious relationships among family members….. Social problems are often rooted in different family problems, e.g., the lack of proper care & attention for family members, including the elderly, women, youngsters, and children. • To tackle social problems, it is necessary to start with supporting & strengthening the family; fostering a sense of responsibility & obligation in every family member, nurturing care & love, & developing a relationship of mutual support. • Our social welfare measures should strengthen, rather than detract from, the function of a family” (Hong Kong Government 2006: 13, 35, 36)

6. ….. Cont’d Hong Kong’s Dominant Familial Ideology (and its Internal Contradictions) • Hegemony of the heterosexual-monogamous-nuclear family • Division of labour based on sex • Idealization of the family • Selective incorporation of traditional Chinese familial ethics • The “familization” of social problems • The private/public dichotomy • Selective interventionism & instrumentalization of the family

7. Some would say, in States Consider these : • Nine out of ten people continue to live in households as family members • Nine out of ten young adults marry. • The majority (three out of four) of those who divorce will remarry. • The majority of those who marry will have children.

8. But the pessimists would say • Divorce, abortion, late marriage or not choosing marriage are rising • Single parenthood, cohabitation, re-marriage are rising • So does domestic violence& child abuse! • Family values are declining

9. The Hong Kong situation • Lee, M.K. (1997).The marriage institution in decline? in Lau, S.K. et al. ’s (ed.) Indicators of Social Development, Hong Kong Institute of Asia Pacific Studies.

10. The marriage institution in decline? • HK Chinese people becoming more liberal in sexual attitudes  more tolerant of divorce, pre-marital & extra-marital sex, + homosexuality • Not as traditional as Beijing people but more conservative in comparison to the West  Westernization + still holding onto Chinese tradition

11. M.K.Lee, • “The description that marriage as an institution is in crisis may be a bit exaggerated, but there are signs of the institution in decline, as evidenced by, among others, more liberal sexual attitudes, & a rather widely shared sense of scepticism about marital happiness.”

12. WHY LIVE IN A FAMILY? • Survival, growth & development • Meeting psycho-social needs -- Love and closeness, continuity in emotional attachments, rights, and obligations. • Close proximity which facilitates cooperation and communication. • Abiding familiarity with others. Can know ourselves and others well. • Economic benefits, resources & cultural capital. • Sense of belonging & ultimate concern

13. Hong Kong Families Besieged: Socio-Structural Threats • Preventive, supportive & specialized services/ crisis intervention  piecemeal & remedial • Ideal family propagated but culturally insensitive -- idealized version of Western Christian middle class conception of conjugal relationships & parenting methods + Chinese familial ethics  reinforce adult’s responsibilities to their parents • Campaigns  victims blaming because they failed to tackle the structural forces that caused problems • Social isolation, unemployment, poverty (consequences of globalization) – structural forces are besieging families

14. What other forces contributed to the radical changes in gender & familial relationship? • Rise of Instrumental rationality • Rise of individualism • Growing consciousness of women’s rights & gay rights • Increasing participation of women in labour force • All  undermining traditional gender roles, dissolution of conventional marriages & new types of living arrangement  increased living alone, later marriages, later 1st pregnancy, divorces & • single parents

15. Challenges facing families in Hong Kong • Genuine & factitious family problems • Factitious ones: • Rising rates of divorce, re-marriages • Late marriages • Single-parent families • Childless couple • Cohabitation • Going solo

16. Concomitants of modernization • Hard won freedom • Price paid for other areas of progress

17. Genuine ones: • Domestic violence • Forcibly separated families • Child abuse • Lack of public & social services • Social disadvantages • Economic hardships

18. Family stressors • Work • Study • Caring demands • The young & the elderly • Family transitional stress points in the different normative stages of family development • Poverty & social isolation • Conflicts & crises

19. References • Chow, Nelson & Lum, Terry. (200). Trends in Family Attitudes and Values in Hong Kong. CPU, HKSAR. • Marriage and Divorce Trends in Hong Kong, 1991 to 2013, Feature Article, Hong Kong Monthly Digest of Statistics, January 2015. • Thematic Report: Single Parents. 2006 Population By-Census. • Thematic Report: Single Parents. 2011 Population Census. • A Study on the Phenomenon of Divorce in Hong Kong, University of Hong Kong, CPU, HKSAR. • Family & Community Service (2003). Background Information. HKCSS. • Lasch, Christopher. (1977). Haven in a Heartless World. Norton.

20. Useful Link • http://www.census2011.gov.hk/pdf/single-parents.pdf(2011年人口普查︰單親人士) • http://www.familycouncil.gov.hk/tc_chi/files/research/A_study_on_the_phenomenon_of_divorce_in_hong_kong.pdf(AstudyonthephenomenonofdivorceinHongKong) • http://www.cpu.gov.hk/doc/tc/research_reports/20080822%20Trends%20in%20family%20attitudes%20and%20values%20in%20Hong%20Kong.pdf(Trends in family attitudes and values in Hong Kong)

21. References • Chow, Nelson & Lum, Terry. (200). Trends in Family Attitudes and Values in Hong Kong. CPU, HKSAR. • Marriage and Divorce Trends in Hong Kong, 1991 to 2013, Feature Article, Hong Kong Monthly Digest of Statistics, January 2015. • Thematic Report: Single Parents. 2006 Population By-Census. • Thematic Report: Single Parents. 2011 Population Census. • A Study on the Phenomenon of Divorce in Hong Kong, University of Hong Kong, CPU, HKSAR. • Family & Community Service (2003). Background Information. HKCSS. • Lasch, Christopher. (1977). Haven in a Heartless World. Norton.