Feminization of poverty in Hong Kong : the experiences of pauperization of lone mothers receiving comprehensive social security assistance (CSSA)

1999 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lit-fai Chan
Keyword(s):  
Hong Kong ◽  
Social Security ◽  
Lone Mothers ◽  
Feminization Of Poverty ◽  
Security Assistance

GENEALOGY OF THE LONE PARENT

2010 ◽  
Vol 44 (01) ◽  
pp. 3-16
Author(s):  
KAM WAH CHAN ◽  
FUNG YI CHAN
Keyword(s):  
Hong Kong ◽  
Social Security ◽  
Social Services ◽  
21St Century ◽  
Early 21St Century ◽  
Lone Parent ◽  
Lone Parents ◽  
Lone Mothers ◽  
Social Security Benefits ◽  
The Early 21St Century

Lone parent families are often portrayed as welfare-dependent, and social policies and social services can be hostile to and discriminating against lone parents especially in societies dominated by traditional familism, such as Hong Kong. This resentment of lone parent families has not been present throughout Hong Kong's history, but has arisen over the past decade. This paper is based on a study that traced the changing discourses of the lone parent family in Hong Kong. Adopting the Foucauldian concept of genealogy of knowledge and inspired by Nancy Fraser and Linda Gordon's work on "genealogy of dependency", we trace the discourses of the lone parent family from the 1970s to the early 21st century. The term "lone parent" did not exist before the mid-1980s, and when it first appeared it was closely associated with vulnerability and charity. In the early 21st century, the lone parent discourse developed into a problematic discourse, with lone parents associated with welfare dependency, social security fraud, juvenile delinquency, family violence, and perceived as a threat to social stability. This paper notes that the "success" of this discourse may help to rationalize the cutting back of social security benefits for lone mothers and regulate welfare recipients.

THE "NEW OPIUM WAR": WELFARE DEPENDENCY OF LONE MOTHERS IN HONG KONG?

1998 ◽  
Vol 32 (02) ◽  
pp. 117-129 ◽  
Author(s):  
LAI CHING LEUNG ◽  
KAM WAH CHAN
Keyword(s):  
Hong Kong ◽  
Social Security ◽  
Rational Choice Theory ◽  
Choice Theory ◽  
Welfare Dependency ◽  
Lone Parents ◽  
Lone Mothers ◽  
Child Care Facilities ◽  
Social Security Benefits ◽  
The Unemployed

Welfare dependency is becoming a conspicuous problem in Hong Kong. Welfare claimants are accused of being overly dependent on welfare and lacking incentive to work. Welfare is even equated with "spiritual opium", that which erodes work incentive. Lone parents and the unemployed are among the groups blamed the most. This paper produces evidence, based on our research on lone mothers in Hong Kong, to refute the accusation of welfare dependency. The arguments that lone mothers are consciously maximising their social security benefits and that they are better off on benefit, as postulated in rational choice theory, is fallacious. We should therefore try to understand the welfare dependency of lone mothers not by reference to an alleged "dependency culture", but rather through a more holistic appreciation of the interactions among a variety of structural forces such as discrimination in the labour market, gender inequality in marital relation, low wages, inadequate child care facilities and the poverty traps within the social security system. 近年福利开支的增长逐渐成为香港社会的热门话题，有人提出「综援养懒人」的论说，甚至有立法局议员将社会福利等同于「精神鸦片」，批评福利发展会削弱人的工作意愿，以致过分依赖社会福利。在这个讨论中有些社群成为被攻击的对象，例如单亲家庭、失业人士等，因为这些社群领取综援的增幅较大。本文作者曾进行几项有关单亲母亲的研究。建基于这些研究，本文铺陈出有关理据驳斥单亲母亲过分依赖综援的论说，资料显示单亲母亲并非福利太好而作出放弃工作、依赖综援的「理性选择」。反之，因为种种结构性的因素如传统的性别观念、缺乏工作机会、低工资、缺乏劳工保障、性别及年龄歧视、家庭责任歧视、缺乏幼儿服务、家庭支援服务不足、缺乏房屋服务等，以致单亲母亲被困于贫穷中。要解决这个问题，我们需要改善有关服务及各服务间的相互配合，而非靠削减综援金额。

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