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Mothers and daughters throw light on social changes in UK and HK

Posted on 8 March 2010

Social scientists at the universities of York and Hong Kong are working on a new study examining how women’s lives have changed in the UK and the former colony. The research is funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (UK) and the Research Grants Council (Hong Kong).

The project will focus on the consequences of recent rapid social change in women’s lives in East Asia and the West and will compare the experiences of women in their 20s with those of their mothers, with particular emphasis on personal and family relationships. Researchers from the University of York and Hong Kong University will carry out in-depth interviews with pairs of mothers and daughters – 12 pairs in each location.

The 27-month study will be led jointly by Professor Stevi Jackson, Director of the Centre for Women’s Studies at York, and Dr Ho Sik Ying, of the Department of Social Work and Social Administration at HKU.

Debate on the effect of rapid social change on women’s lives has largely focused on the West

Professor Jackson

Professor Jackson, who lived in Hong Kong for two years as a teenager, said: “Debate on the effect of rapid social change on women’s lives has largely focused on the West, ignoring the modern societies of East Asia.

“This study will seek to remedy that imbalance by exploring and comparing the impact of social change on gender relations in a western and eastern location. We shall take into account similarities between the two societies such as the increasing number of women in the labour market and the fact that many now delay or forgo marriage and childbearing, as well as considering social and cultural differences.

“There has been significant social change within a generation and the life histories of these women will help us to explore how that change has framed women’s lives.”

Dr Ho added:  “Although we are focusing on mothers and daughters we are not assuming that mother-daughter relationships are the most significant ones in women’s lives. Other relationships are also important and we expect to be challenged by our interviewees’ own perceptions of which relationships have mattered in shaping their lives.”

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