published_or_final_version / Social Work / Master / Master of Social Work

published_or_final_version / abstract / Social Work and Social Administration / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

本論文收錄了三篇有關婚姻和代際關係的研究論文。 / 第一篇文章探討人們如何加強隱性契約。本文在理論分析中引入了情感關係生產函數和假定兒子是老年父母的主要贍養者。我們發現獲得更高的合同金額和加強合同是重男輕女的動機，孝順是為了獲得成人子女的贍養，偏愛孫子體現了祖父母希望向子女提供及時的支援來鞏固合同關係的企圖。我們的經驗分析結果表明，男孩得到更多的投資，男性兒童能激勵他們的父母向祖父母表明其孝道，而有更多兒子的人可以從父母那得到更多的轉移支付。 / 第二篇文章討論人們在不同的資訊條件下如何做出婚姻決策。我們利用同卵雙胞胎與異卵雙胞胎之間的差異來確認整個能力效應，然後利用結婚時的工資與當前工資之間能力效應的構成差異來區分能力的收入效應和能力的信號效應。我們的經驗分析結果表明：（1）第一, 在資訊不對稱的情況下，幸運地擁有高工資的人將結婚較早，而具有美好前景的人將結婚較晚；（2）考慮到能力具有不可觀測性，在資訊不對稱的情況下，能力高的人更容易被低估因而結婚晚；（3）在資訊對稱的情況下，能力高的人結婚早；（4）工資與男子的初次結婚年齡之間存在很強的關係，然而這種關係在女性樣本中很弱。 / 第三篇文章探討婚姻中的討價還價和代際之間的互動的關係。本文強調議價能力不僅影響資源配置，還會影響心理狀態。我們發現情緒效應對代際間的互動有顯著的影響。本文使用夫妻間的相對收入作為議價能力的測量，得到以下結果。非互動式支援：（1）隨著自己的議價能力的提高，人們會更多地支援自己的父母和配偶的父母；（2）隨著子女的議價能力的提高，父母會提供較少的支援給子女，而提供更多的支援給子女的配偶。互動式交流：（1）隨著議價能力的提高，人們會增加與自己的父母的互動交流；（2）議價能力和與配偶的父母的互動溝通的關係是不確定的。我們用中國成人雙胞胎的資料核對我們的理論，獲得的結果與我們的理論預期一致。 / This dissertation is composed of three essays on marriage and intergenerational relationship. / The first essay explores how people enforce implicit contracts. By introducing the production function of the emotional relationship and assuming sons are the main support forces of the elder parents, we provide several strategies to identify the motives behind son preference, filial piety, and grandson preference. Our altruism-assumption and selfishness-assumption models suggest that first, to enhance the contract value and to enforce the implicit contract are two possible motives for son preference; second, one of motives behind filial piety is to gain children’s support in old age; third, grandson preference reflects that the old intends to reinforce the implicit contract by providing increased support to the middle who is more in need of help. Using two Chinese twins datasets, we find that first, parents invest more resources on the son rather than the daughter; second, the male child can motivate his/her parents to demonstrate their filial piety to grandparents; third, individuals with sons can obtain added transfers from parents. / The second essay discusses how individuals make marriage decisions under different information situations. Using Chinese adult twins dataset, we employ the difference between identical and non-identical twins to identify the entire ability effect, and then utilize the different compositions of ability effects between wedding-time wages and current wages to distinguish ability income effect from ability revelation effect. Our empirical results suggest the following findings. First, with information asymmetry, a high-wage individual will marry early, whereas an advantageous-prospect individual will marry late. Second, given that ability is barely noticeable, individuals with high abilities are easily underestimated and generally postpone marriage with imperfect information. Third, under information symmetry, the smartest individual who has the promising future will first of all gain the favor of potential mates. Finally, a strong relationship exists between the wages and men’s age at first marriage; however, such a relationship is weak for females. / The third essay investigates the relationship between bargain within marriage and intergenerational interactions. We emphasize that bargaining power influences not only the resource distribution within marriage but also the personal psychological status. We find that the emotional effect significantly influences intergenerational interactions. Given that several significant differences between non-interactive support (e.g., transfers) and interactive communications (e.g., visitations) exist, and by using the relative incomes of partners as a measure of bargaining power, we obtain the following findings. For non-interactive support: (1) as a child’s bargaining power increases, he/she will offers more help to both parents and parents-in-law; (2) as the increase of own child’s bargaining power within marriage, parents will provide less help to their own child while more to their child’s spouse. For interactive communications: (1) the interactive conversations with parents definitely increase with own bargaining power; (2) the relationship between own bargaining power and the interactive communications with parents-in-law is ambiguous. Using Chinese adult Twins dataset, we obtain results that provide consistent evidence for our theoretical predictions. / essay one. Implicit contract commitment: the motives for son preference, filial piety, and grandson preference -- essay two. Information asymmetry, ability, and age at first marriage -- essay three. Bargain within marriage and intergenerational interactions. / Detailed summary in vernacular field only. / Detailed summary in vernacular field only. / Detailed summary in vernacular field only. / Detailed summary in vernacular field only. / Deng, Weiguang. / Thesis (Ph.D.) Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2014. / Includes bibliographical references. / Abstracts also in Chinese.

複印手抄本. / Thesis (M.A.)--香港中文大學. / Fu yin shou chao ben. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 137-147). / Thesis (M.A.)--Xianggang Zhong wen da xue. / Chapter 第一章 --- 研究的目標與意義 / Chapter 第二章 --- 理論基礎 / Chapter 一 --- 現代化的函義 / Chapter 二 --- 傳統、現代化、與過性 / Chapter 三 --- 價值與態度 / Chapter 四 --- 個人現代化與婚姻態度 / Chapter 第三章 --- 研究方法與設計 / Chapter 一 --- 研究的模型 / Chapter 二 --- 概念定義 / Chapter 三 --- 問卷的設計 / Chapter 四 --- 抽樣及資料收集 / Chapter 五 --- 統計分析方法 / Chapter 第四章 --- 樣本的社會背景 / Chapter 一 --- 樣本的個人背景 / Chapter 二 --- 樣本的家庭背景 / Chapter 第五章 --- 現代價值與個人現代化 / Chapter 一 --- 現代化的一般趋势̐ưج現代價值 / Chapter 二 --- 個人背景與個人現代化 / Chapter 三 --- 家庭背景與個人現代化 / Chapter 第六章 --- 婚姻態度的現代意識 / Chapter 一 --- 婚姻態度的一般趋势 / Chapter 二 --- 個人背景與婚姻態度 / Chapter 三 --- 家庭背景與婚姻態度 / Chapter 第七章 --- 結論 / 注釋 / Chapter 附錄一 --- 個人現代化量表 / Chapter 附錄二 --- 婚姻態度量表 / Chapter 附錄三 --- 個人及家庭背景問卷

本文旨在通过对形式婚姻个案的分析，来探讨中国社会里的家庭与性的关系。形式婚姻是一种正在被中国同性恋者实践的互助合作型婚姻。具体而言，本文将主要关注两个问题：第一，家庭如何影响了其成年子女的性表达和性实践；第二，成年子女如何在家庭的影响下进行性表达和性实践。本文的分析材料主要包括 22份在中国某北方城市所作的深度访谈的录音整理、同性恋活动的田野笔记和形式婚姻网络聊天小组的聊天记录。本文发现，中国家庭可以通过四种机制对其成年子女的性产生重要影响，包括共同体维系、资源分配、福利供给和血缘延续。同时，成年子女在与这种四种机制所传递的压力进行策略性互动的情况下表达和实践他（她）们的性。另外，本文发现，同性恋者常常为了家庭的期望、舆论和和睦做出妥协与让步。因此，在有关中国家庭的研究中，个人主义的兴起不应被过分夸大。尽管形式婚姻是一个发生在中国社会中的个案，但是本文的发现亦有可能对有关非西方社会的家庭研究有所贡献。 / This paper tries to explore the relationship between family and sexuality in Mainland China through discussing the case of functional marriage, a reciprocal marriage conducted by the Chinese homosexuals. Specifically, the primary concern of this paper is how family shapes the expression and practice of sexuality of adult children and how adult children practice and negotiates their sexualities under the familial influences. Data for analysis in this paper includes full transcripts of twenty-two in-depth interviews in a northern city of China, field notes of homosexual activities and chat logs of on-line chatting groups for functional marriage. This paper empirically finds that Chinese families can exert considerable power on their adult children’s sexualities through four mechanisms - community maintenance, resource allocation, care provision and blood tie continuity. Concomitantly, adult children “do“ their sexualities in familial influence by strategically negotiating with power exerted through the four mechanisms. Moreover, by observing that the homosexuals’ personal desires and interests are often compromised to fulfill their families' expectations and consensus, this paper argues that the rising individualism emphasized by some studies of Chinese family should not be overstated. Though functional marriage is a case in the context of Chinese society, it may have some implications for other nonwestern societies in which family plays a central role in local culture and value system as well as in daily life. / Detailed summary in vernacular field only. / Luo, Ming. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2012. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 57-60). / Abstracts also in Chinese. / Chapter I. --- Introduction --- p.1 / Chapter II. --- Background --- p.4 / Chapter III. --- Review of Literature --- p.6 / Chapter A. --- Research on Sexuality in the West --- p.6 / Chapter B. --- Family and Sexuality in Chinese Society --- p.8 / Chapter IV. --- Methods --- p.13 / Chapter A. --- Research Site --- p.13 / Chapter B. --- Data Collection --- p.14 / Chapter C. --- Analysis --- p.17 / Chapter V. --- Mechanisms of Family Pressure --- p.18 / Chapter A. --- Community Maintenance --- p.20 / Chapter B. --- Resource Allocation --- p.24 / Chapter C. --- Care Provision --- p.27 / Chapter D. --- Blood Tie Continuity --- p.31 / Chapter VI. --- Response and Contention of Family Member --- p.34 / Chapter A. --- Community Maintenance --- p.36 / Chapter B. --- Resource Allocation --- p.40 / Chapter C. --- Care Provision --- p.44 / Chapter D. --- Blood Tie Continuity --- p.48 / Chapter VII. --- Family and Sexuality: Conclusion and Discussion --- p.53 / Reference --- p.57

本研究旨在探索香港夫婦根據他們的社會文化背景對自己在婚姻中所遇到性功能障礙的經驗詮釋和主觀視角。當生理性觀點支配我們理解整全的性行為或性經驗時，這種看法甚至於遮蔽我們在個人、關係和社會心理的向度上所表達與「性」方面有關的活動，亦逐漸令性治療的專業範疇顯得不能完善地對應需要而失效，或許更相信有效的治療方法在於去除生理醫學上的病徵，回復正常的性功能；但是，這樣未必有助於改善性生活的質素和箇中關係。因此，本研究嘗試透過被評估有性功能障礙的夫婦，去檢視他們對有關婚姻經驗的詮釋，就此探討性功能障礙在婚姻境況中的意義和重要性。本專題論文會特別考究臨床社會工作在更闊的社會文化脈絡中，要怎樣理解配偶在婚姻經驗中的詮釋，藉以拓展擴大我們對性功能障礙的現象及其呈現的選擇和可能性的理解與考察，從中由病原學的探究轉向去理解性功能障礙在具體境域中所呈現的意義和重要性。 / 本研究採用了解釋主義研究範式的取向，並著重描述性現象學和哲學詮釋學的原則，致力於人與人關係方面的知識和解構配偶在社會文化中所生成的文本。解釋主義者相信人類行為的多樣性、差異性和複雜性；而描述性現象學和哲學詮釋學的原則便提供了知識建構上的策略和理解經驗意義的四個探索向度：理解的脈絡、時間性、自我或身體的理解及與他人的關係。這亦引申到是次質性研究所涉及的概念框架預設。在研究的設計中，應用了深入面談的方式進行：八位被評估有性功能障礙的配偶及他們在異性戀婚姻中的伴侶，同意參與是次研究，詳細描述了他們在婚姻中的有關經驗和性功能障礙在婚姻中的意義及重要性。 / 研究顯示，夫婦們所描述的故事內容包括具體的婚姻生活、在婚姻中所經驗的性功能障礙和有關性功能障礙的意義及重要性的詮釋。綜合概觀八個故事，有七個重要的主題呈現出來：第一、同樣有性功能障礙的夫婦卻在婚姻關係及滿足感上各有差異；第二、夫婦都以互為主觀的看法和透過關係中的互動去描述性功能障礙的獨特意義及其重要性；第三、配偶們沒有在詮釋性功能障礙的病徵上採取生理學的看法，他們反而按社會經濟方面的理解脈絡 (例如：工作壓力、長工時、家庭財政負擔或樓房按揭)、關係上的脈絡 (例如：婚姻關係、配偶間之互動和親友的關係)、時間性的脈絡 (例如：生育的計劃、過往沮喪的經驗和有關的聯想) 去描述自身性生活的困難，較只以純粹生理性的假設更多、更複雜；第四、他們在詮釋性功能障礙的經驗中，都埋下了結構性的時間觀念，或在時間的境域上同時伸展就過去、現在和未來的意識，從而由性交生活的範圍越出到非性交生活的範圍作一連繫，這可與直線的時間觀作一比對；第五、配偶們通常會以他們的生育計劃去解釋性功能障礙在婚姻中的意義和重要性；第六、忙碌的生活或絶少空閒的生活境況往往是夫婦在家庭和社會經濟範疇上的顯著特徵；第七、除性交以外，配偶們經歷和探索了其他可以令夫婦關係和性生活滿足的選擇，例如自慰、愛撫、擁抱、親吻或甜言蜜語。 / 有關本研究的主要成果，它採取了描述性現象學和哲學詮釋學的原則作為質性研究的取向，並以此為基礎邁向一種集合生理、心理及社會性的理解樣式，有助探索關於性功能障礙在婚姻中所呈現的經驗意義，越過並擴展純粹生理學及病原學的觀點，協助建立社會工作就這方面的明確介入方向，為綜合完備的臨床實務作一基礎。此外，更對單一地了解性功能障礙在婚姻中的意義，而忽略它的多樣性現象，作一意識形態上的批判。 / This research aimed at exploring the insiders’ perspectives of the couples towards sexual dysfunctions in marriage according to their own interpretation in the socio-cultural context of Hong Kong. While the biological aspects comprise an integral part of our understanding of sexuality, it has been developing to conceal our views of the individual, relational and psychosocial dimensions of sexual expression that may eventually prove stultifying to the professional field of sex therapy. It may be increasingly effective at removing biomedical symptoms to normal sexual functioning albeit contributing little else to the improvement of sexual life quality and relations. Thus, this research attempted to investigate the marital experience of spouses, who had been assessed with sexual dysfunctions, through their interpretation, whereas the significance of sexual dysfunctions was investigated at dyadic level in marital context. Interpretation of experience in marriage for the spouses of the present study was specific to clinical social work in a wider socio-cultural context. It drove us to expand the horizon of understanding and investigation towards the phenomenon of sexual dysfunction with the concern of human alternatives or possibilities, veering round from etiology to understanding of human significance of sexual dysfunctions in contexts. / This study adopted the interpretive research paradigm with emphasis of the principles of descriptive phenomenology and philosophical hermeneutics for attention to the relational aspects of knowledge and the deconstruction of socio-cultural texts of the spouses. Interpretivists believed in multiplicity, diversity and complexity of human behavior, whereas the principles of descriptive phenomenology and philosophical hermeneutics furnished epistemological strategies for searching of meanings of the experiences in the dimensions of space (perceived context), time, self (body) and relations (others) that articulated a conceptual framework for pre-understanding of this qualitative inquiry. In this qualitative study employed with in-depth interviews, eight spouses assessed with sexual dysfunctions and their partners in heterosexual marriage had been recruited to provide personal accounts of their marital experience and perceived significance of sexual dysfunctions in marriage. / As results of the study, the stories of the couples showed through their marital life, experience of sexual dysfunctions and perceived significance of sexual dysfunction in marriage. Having examined across the eight cases, seven major themes arose from their interpretations: (a) there were diversified marital relationship and satisfaction for the spouses who had the experience of sexual dysfunctions in marriage; (b) the unique meaning and importance of sexual dysfunction in marriage was described upon the inter-subjective views of the couples through interactive perceptions; (c) the spouses did not adopt a physiological view towards the symptoms of the sexual dysfunctions or rather they interpreted their experience of sexual difficulties in light of socio-economic context (e.g., work stress, long work hour, burden of household finance, mortgage), relational context (e.g., relationship of marriage, interaction with spouse and relationship with friends) and temporal context (e.g., birth plan, past dreary experience and the related association), more than biological given; (d) they interpreted the experience of sexual dysfunction embedded with structural time or in a horizon of temporality stretching through past, present and future, from the sphere of coitus to the sphere beyond coitus that juxtaposed with the linear time concept; (e) the spouses usually interpreted the significance of sexual dysfunction in view of their plan of reproduction; (f) stress arisen from busy life and occupied living condition in household and socio-economic context was a prominent feature of their marital life; (g) the spouses sought alternatives for sexual and relational satisfaction apart from coitus, e.g. masturbation, caress, hug, kiss or sweet words. / For the implications of the study, it had been working towards a bio-psycho-social model with adoption of the principles of descriptive phenomenology and philosophical hermeneutics searching for meaning of the experience that surmounted physiological and etiological views of sexual dysfunctions in marriage, and shed light on social work intervention for sexual dysfunction, especially for sake of a substratum of clinical integrative practice. It also made an ideological critique on uni-mode of understanding against the sexual dysfunctions in marriage without consideration of its multifaceted phenomena. / Detailed summary in vernacular field only. / Detailed summary in vernacular field only. / Detailed summary in vernacular field only. / Detailed summary in vernacular field only. / Kwan, Ka Wing. / Thesis (Ph.D.) Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2013. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 485-537). / Abstracts also in Chinese.

This is a research on Chinese women’s marriage migration to South Korea. I explore this topic by adopting the perspective of politics of intimacy. It aims to find out how the broad political and economic transformations in China and South Korea structure this migration flow and how the operation of transnational matchmaking as a business shapes marriage relationship. In addition, how Chinese women negotiate their intimate life and adapt to Korean society. I highlight the issue of intimacy in Chinese women’s marriage migration. Capitalist development and the change of economic structure in China and South Korea generate potential migrants, and the gendered mobility structure shaped by South Korean immigration policies particularly favors women’s marriage migration. Transnational matchmaking, organized on market principles, provides a means for brides and grooms to know each other. However, it also contributes to generating a marriage relationship without emotional basis, which contradicts with the discourse of love. Economic political forces and the operation of matchmaking as a business shape it is particularly difficult for Chinese women to build up a marriage relationship structured around love and emotion. However, in a situation that love and emotion are considered as the basis of “modern” marriage, a relationship without it has to be dealt with. I thus discuss their negotiation of intimacy in both premarital and marital relationships. In premarital intimacy, the discourse of love is manipulated by marriage brokers on behalf of men in a way that entraps women. After marriage, as both parties only barely know each other, the version of companionship they negotiate is different from that in other marriages and is often manifested in the issues of money and reproduction. However, both money management and reproduction are sites of power struggle between men and women. Men tend to use money to control women, and they press women to bear a child. However, when women are not sure about the relationship, they are usually reluctant to do so. Despite that women possess certain emotional power; in general they are in a weak position. Thus, they use the weapons of the weak, secret, non-confrontational methods to deal with the reproductive pressure. I thus demonstrate that intimacy is not negotiated by women and men of equal standing, but existing gender conventions are played out in the process of negotiation. Overall, I argue that it is important to discuss the issue of intimacy in transnational marriage as this is a perspective to avoid conflating women’s marriage migration with labor migration and reveal the emotional and human aspect of their marriage and experience. / published_or_final_version / Sociology / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

Between 2001 and 2011, a total of 509,809 new immigrants have migrated from Mainland China to Hong Kong on the One-way Permit for family reunification, in which 69.7% were female who are typically wives of Hong Kong permanent residents. How these marriage migrants integrate into Hong Kong society and the assessment of their impact to Hong Kong is becoming a pivotal issue. Many studies and surveys indicated that these marriage migrants have encountered tremendous difficulties during their course of immigration adaptation, and many have resulted in severe psychological stress. Extensive literature has empirically documented that social support facilitates immigrants’ ability to make use of relationships to buffer their adaptation challenges and to promote their integration into the new environment. Yet hardly any studies have examined the determinants and changes of social support among these marriage migrants within a longitudinal framework. The purpose of this study is to investigate the determinants of social support, including the structural, functional and the perception of social support. The “Social Support Mobilization Model” suggests that perceived stress leads to an increase in social support. On the contrary, the “Social Support Deterioration Model” suggests that persistent high level of stress erodes social support over time. This study test the Deterioration Model by examining the impact of lingering of stress levels on social support. Using a random sample of 211 Chinese marriage migrants from a two-year longitudinal secondary data, bivariate and multiple regression analyses were performed to examine the associations of social support with acculturation stress, persistent stress, psychological well-being, optimism and perceived neighborhood disorder. Findings indicated that marriage migrants have difficulties in re-establishing their social network outside their own community. Acculturation stress and psychological well-being were found to be the two most crucial factors affecting social support. Acculturation stress predicted both the structural and functional aspects of social support, but not the perceived social support. The psychological well-being, on the other hand, exerted significant influence on both the functional and perceived social support, but not on the structural social support. Results suggested that social support interventions should focus on alleviating acculturation stress, expanding social networking opportunity outside of their own immigrant community and enhancing psychological well-being. Besides, professional counseling and psychological support services should be provided to new immigrants, especially those who have experienced high level of stress. / published_or_final_version / Social Work and Social Administration / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

published_or_final_version / Social Work / Master / Master of Social Sciences

The main purpose of the study was to look at possible differences in perceptions between the older and the younger generation of the boat people about marriage and the family. The respondents for this study were the boat people from the Shaukiwan Fish Market of Hong Kong. A questionnaire using a number of items pertaining to marriage and family living from the large scale project of The Urban Family Life Survey Of Hong Kong was developed. The questionnaire consisted of sixty-three questions, employing both closed and open-ended responses. The interpretative questions of attitudes and perceptions include: the courtship and marriage process, husband and wife relationship, family size and family planning, parent and child relationships, kin network, and career choices. Data for this study were collected in the summer of 1981, and were analysed using a chi-square statistical test. The level of significant was set at .05. The total number of respondents who participated in this study was 60. The two independent groups studied were an older male generation (aged 45 to 79) and a younger male generation (aged 20 to 35). The results indicate that there were statistically significant differences in the attitudes and perceptions of older and younger male boat people of Hong Kong in many aspects of marriage and family living. / Master of Science