SOSC 103DSocial Inequality in HK

Lecture 10: Hong Kong Dream

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Social Mobility in Hong Kong

Recapture the Main Findings:

1. Open and Mobile High mobility rate (net rate = 53.6%)

2. Change of economic and occupational structure

Structural mobility rate = 23.1% An expansion of professional, managerial

and administrative posts (class I and II)

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Social Mobility in Hong Kong

Other Main Findings:

Alongside the openness, there is also some rigidity

Self-recruitment of the upper-middle and middle class (45.2%)

Retention of the working class children (49.6%)

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Mobility Experience Occupational & Educational mobility

Intra-generational or Inter-generational

Blue Collar/ Labour/ Factory workers

Professionals/ Governmental officials

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Mobility Experience (cont’) Housing Mobility

Intra-generational or Inter-generational

- Type of housing

- Living quality

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Mobility Experience (cont’)

Wet market to SupermarketDepartment store to Shopping mall

Change of consumption experience

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External Reinforcement Comparing HK yan with Mainlander:

Rich vs Poor Hard-working vs Lazy Lawful and cultivated vs Unlawful

New-immigrants are looking for: Job/ employment Money/ material enjoyment

Ah-Charn

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Hong Kong Dream Social belief/ popular discourse:

Abundant opportunities for upward mobility One’s efforts and abilities are keys of

success

A product/ reflection of the collective mobility experience

Alongside the optimistic view, there are stress and frustrations

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Optimistic views (on mobility)?Questions/ statements Class (%)

Agree Neutral Disagree

1. In Hong Kong, any able person, I 74 14 12who is hard-working, will success. II 62 20 18

III 71 10 10IV 81 5 14V 73 10 17VI 75 8 17VII 74 11 15

2. In Hong Kong, children from I 36 12 69working- class families and children II 26 9 73of managers and administrators III 31 5 79have the SAME chance of success. IV 31 5 82

V 28 6 74VI 26 4 77VII 26 7 71

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Optimistic views (on justice)?Questions/ statements Class (%)

Agree Neutral Disagree

3. Employers have to exploit the I 15 6 79workers in order to earn. II 19 17 64

III 38 12 50IV 17 10 73V 32 16 52VI 45 14 41VII 39 21 40

4. In general, employees get less/ I 28 21 51are paid less, compare with the II 40 18 42effort they paid. III 53 27 20

IV 36 12 52V 51 12 37VI 61 11 28VII 52 17 27

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Optimistic views (on equality)?Questions/ statements Class (%)

Agree Neutral Disagree

5. There must be conflict of interests I 63 5 32among different classes II 61 14 25

III 73 6 21IV 67 8 25V 79 4 17VI 68 9 23VII 68 10 22

6. The business sector in Hong Kong I 86 8 6are too powerful. II 85 7 8

III 93 3 4IV 88 4 8V 90 5 5VI 86 7 7VII 90 4 6

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Readings:

Wong, Thomas and Tai-lok Lui (2000) “Morality, class and the Hong Kong way of life,” in S.K. Lau (ed.) Social development and political change in Hong Kong

Lui, Taki-lok and Thomas Wong (1993) “Class, Inequality and Moral order: a Class Analysis of Hong Kong in Transition” in Hong Kong in transition, 1992 過渡期的香港 : 1992, p. 533-550 (in Chinese)