Rethinking adulthood : the housing transition of the current younger generation in Hong Kong

Abstract

In Hong Kong, living with parents during young adulthood is interwoven in a matrix of factors: delayed marriage, extended schooling, postponed entrance into the labor market, and recently, a restrictive housing situation. Under the specific Chinese cultural context in Hong Kong, where a collectivistic family system plays a significant role, the family is now expected to play an increasingly important role since access to housing has become harder. This research examines the experience of co-residence among Hong Kong youth and the new situation of ‘adulting’ underpinned by the recent pattern of the close intergenerational relationship. I propose a framework that recognizes the salient role of intergenerational relations (mostly between parents and adult children) and the family setting in today’s youth transition. To address this, the research utilizes qualitative data from 24 in-depth interviews and participant-produced visual materials of photographs and sketches.

The analysis is divided into three parts. It begins with an examination of family support. It can be seen that local families provide various forms of support during co-residence, though the extent of this varies depending on social class. Despite the dependence on family, I conclude that such provision is more about a collaborative tendency between generations that facilitates transition to adulthood. This is a result of realizing the different challenges faced entering adulthood, hence there are the different norms and expectations in intergenerational support.

Second, I investigate family life in co-residence in terms of the practices involved. Based on Janet Finch (2007)’s concept of ‘displaying family’, I illuminate young participants’ diverse experience while living with their family according to the colloquial expression of home (uk1 kei5-2 in Cantonese). Their displays, which combine visual images and narratives, exhibit both the positive and negative conditions they face as a co-residing young adult. This contributes to the range of perspective of comprehending adulthood beyond support in the context of delayed homeleaving.

Third, I explore certain features of being an ‘in-house’ adult in the local context. Findings show the continued influence from parents and the cultural aspect of ‘guan’ (translated as a mix of caring and disciplining in English) can be observed. ‘Adulting’ in co-residential settings presents a unique situation where there is overlapping of adulthood and childhood and parents continue to practice an accustomed way of caring, which is usually considered as control by young people. This situation poses challenges to take up a more independent adult role. Still, financial provisions to family facilitate the building of one’s adult identity, though these contributions can be varied by young people’s family conditions and personal capacity.

This research concludes that there are changes in the supportive function of family in Hong Kong, as reflected in the predominate ‘child-centered’ pattern, namely, parents supporting their children throughout the young adult years. This trend brings about new issues and ways of thinking about the current younger generation. The study encourages a fundamental shift from an individualized account of youth transition to a more intergenerational and relational approach that considers more of the role of family.