Gender Ideology and the Domestic Division of Labor in Middle-class Chinese Families in Hong Kong

Despite being engaged in full-time paid work, middle-class women continue to be responsible for the majority of housework and childcare. Based on in-depth interviews with 20 Chinese professional married women, this article explores their subjective perspectives, values and beliefs toward paid and un...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Gender, place and culture : a journal of feminist geography place and culture : a journal of feminist geography, 2002-09, Vol.9 (3), p.245-260
Main Author: Lee, William K. M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Child care
Confucianism
Cultural studies
Cultural Values
Division of labour
Families & family life
Family
Gender
Gender studies
Hong Kong
Housework
Human geography
Ideology
Middle Class
Peoples Republic of China
Sex Role Attitudes
Sexual Division of Labor
Social conditions & trends
Womens Roles
Working Women
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Summary:Despite being engaged in full-time paid work, middle-class women continue to be responsible for the majority of housework and childcare. Based on in-depth interviews with 20 Chinese professional married women, this article explores their subjective perspectives, values and beliefs toward paid and unpaid work. The evidence shows that traditional gender ideology and a patriarchal familial structure, deriving from a Confucian culture, influence perceptions and allocation of housework and childcare, which women are expected to carry out or supervise. The employment of female domestic helpers further reinforces the traditional sexual division of domestic labor in the family. Women in Hong Kong continue to deal with the strain and contradictions of living their lives amidst countervailing modern and traditional forces.
ISSN:0966-369X
1360-0524
DOI:10.1080/0966369022000003851