The Rebirth of the Meaning of Family

Dr. Yeung Ka Ching

March 11, 2008

Demographic trends of Demographic trends of families in HKfamilies in HK Household size

Size of domestic households: Dropped from 3.4 in 1994 to 3.1 in 2004

Household composition Unextended nuclear family: Increased from 63.6% in 1996 to

66.2% in 2001 Vertically extended nuclear family: Decreased from 9.9% in 1996

to 8.5% in 2001 Households with children aged under 15

Rise in no children: From 57.6% in 1994 to 65.1% to 2004 Decline in 2 or more children: From 22.5% in 1991 to 15.2% in

2001 Rise in single-child family: From 46.9% in 1991 to 56.5% in 2001

Decline in no. of births & drop in fertility rates No. of births: From 71,600 in 1994 to 51,300 in 1999 and then

49,800 in 2004 Crude birth rate even dropped by 40% as compared in1991 and

2001

Late marriage Median age at first marriage: Male from 29.6 to 31.1 & female

from 26.5 to 28.1 in 1994 & 2004

Increase in cross-boarder marriage No. of cross-boarder marriages between HK and Mainland

residents was estimated at 24,360 in 2004

Rising in domestic violence, spouse abuse and child abuse cases 10 domestic violence cases per day (HKCSS, 1999, the annual

proposal for government)

Increase in remarriage & divorce No. of remarriages rose significantly between 1994

and 2004, i.e., from 13.9% to 28.8% of all marriages Rate of divorce or separation increased for both

sexes; proportion of divorced or separated men and women increased from 0.9% to 2.0% and 1.2% to 3.8%

Increase in single parent family From 34,538 to 58,460 in 1991 and 2001; Sex ratio of single parents, i.e., no. of single fathers

per 1,000 single mothers dropped from 498 to 297 In 2001, median age of single father was 43 and 41 of

single mother

Rise in no. of singleton / doubleton elders More than a quarter of elders (136,298 in number) are the

households comprising solely elderly persons, 62.7% are elderly person living alone

Single elderly households grew by 42% between 1991 and 2001 2-person elderly households increased from 28.8% to 36.3%

Long life expectancy Increase to 82.5 for male and 88 for female in 2033 27% of population over 65 in 2033 No. of households with elderly persons aged 65 and over grew

by 46% between 1991 and 2001 Increasing median age of population from 38 in 2003 to 49 in

2033 Ratio of dependents (aged under 15 & 65 or above) per 1,000

from 378 to 598

Household income Median monthly household income (MMHI): Increase from

$9,964 in 1991 to $17,500 in 1996 during the period of strong economic growth; the income of small households had dropped in 2001 due to the economic downturn in 1997; and the MMHI was $16,000 in 2005

Single parents: The MMHI went up from $8,000 in 1991 to $12,500 in 1996 and then dropped to $11,000 in 2001

Labour force participation Single parents: Dropped slightly from 74.5% in 1991 to 72.2% in

1996; dropped significantly to 63.7% in 2001 Married women: 45% to 48.9% between 1991 and 2001 which

remains lower than those for never married females for all groups except 15-19

Family solidarity

According to the Social Development Index released by the Hong Kong Council of Social Service, the sub-index of family solidarity has sequential drop. This indicates there is low marriage rate, high divorce rate and rapid increase in family violence cases.

-90 (1998) -72 (2000) -150 (2002)

Social Development Index 2004, The Hong Kong Council of Social Service, 2004.

Family solidarity

Social Development Index 2004, The Hong Kong Council of Social Service, 2004.

1998 2000 2002

Number of marriage (every 100,000 people aged 15 or above)

578 551.7 559.8

Divorce : marriage ratio 42.2 43.4 40.4

Number of domestic violence cases (every 100,000 family)

57.5 50.5 76.7

An Ecological Analysis onAn Ecological Analysis on Drop in family solidarity in Hong KongDrop in family solidarity in Hong Kong

SocietalSocietalfactorsfactors

IndividualIndividualfactorsfactors

CulturalCulturalfactorsfactors

Family system Family system valuesvalues

Daniel Shek, 2006

Social stress and obsessionLow psychosocial competencies

Disintegration of traditional beliefs Popular & youth culturesDrop in significance

Economic disadvantage Changing family forms

Implications

Family is under stress Family solidarity decrease Decrease in traditional family functions High social cost Institutional transition vs. equilibrium-oriented

models.

Institution transition : the fourth wave The first wave – wandering family and

communal units in the preagriculture period. The second wave – extended family after the

domestication of agriculture. The third wave – independent family units

with new, differentiated roles and responsibilities for family members after industrialization.

The fourth wave – changing family values and norms

Bellah (1985, p.276-277)

Perhaps most common today, however, is a note of uncertainly, not a desire to turn back to the past but an anxiety about where we seem to be headed. In this view, modernity seems to be a period of enormously rapid change, a transition from something relatively fixed toward something not yet clear. Manny might still find applicable Matthew Arnold’s assertion that “We are wandering between two worlds, one dead, the other powerless to be born”

Changing family values

The value of marriage versus independence More voluntary singleness Marriage more a choice than a must

Individualism versus collectivism Commitment versus autonomy Nurturance versus narcissism

Changing Family Norms

Family norms refer to the expectations for those behaviors associated with the statuses and roles of family members.

Relational-formation norms – The norms that guide dating, courtship, and mate selection has changed dramatically in recent decades.

Relational-maintenance norms – today only a minority of families follow what was once the traditional pattern of the couple getting married and having children, mothers staying at home with the children, children leaving home, and the couple living into old age and death together (family life cycle).

Relational-dissolution norms – the acceptance of divorce as an alternative to marital unhappiness has increased

What can we do?

Rethinking of our Social Value WoC’s research on Core Values Quality parent, quality parenting

Community Care and Support Social inclusion Social capital

Family-friendly Employment Policies and Practices

Maintaining Intimate Family Relationship Communication – Tapes demonstration

Between spouse Between parent and children

Uncle Long-Legs

章克標百歲啟 (一九九九年一月 )

本人一九零零年生，年正百歲不老。前年老伴仙逝以來，初時頗感得到解放自由之樂，但一年之後，又漸覺孤獨單調難耐，深感「男人的一半是女人」有道理。為此，廣告徵求伴侶，以解孤寂。

徵求對象：女性，別無條件，但希望她亦知道「女人的一半還是男人」的小道理。所謂伴者，照測字先生講，就是半個人，也是說明這個道理的，還有「侶」者，是二口人，表示兩人可以開口談話，自然不患孤獨寂寞了。徵伴求侶四個字已經說明了問題。其他可以不管了。作此廣告文以廣而告之。

Hetherington, Cox, & Cox (1977) The divorced individuals wanted sustained,

meaningful relationships and were not satisfied with a series of superficial encounters. The formation of lasting intimate relations, involving deep concern and a willingness to make sacrifices for the partner, as well as a strong attachment and desire to be near the person, was a strong factor in happiness, self-esteem, and feelings of competence in sexual relations for both divorced men and women (p.42)

Peter McDonald McDonald, P,(1988). Families in the future: The pursuit of personal autonomy, Family Matters, 22, 40-44.

In the face of the enormous push toward competition, deregulation, and autonomy, so powerfully reinforced in this area of market forces, we need policies which promote the conviction that men and women are irreducively social and that we have a strong psychological need for companionship and intimacy. Education for both children and adults must extend beyond the utilitarian to a recognition that we are social beings who have intimate human relationships with others. We need to reinterate the undoubted value of family life; to emphasize the positive rather than rant and rave about the negative

A chicken and a pig were having a discussion The chicken said, “I am committed to giving

one egg every day.” “That’s not commitment,” the pig said. “That’s

just participation. Giving bacon, now, THAT’s commitment !”