Balancing Work and Child Care Among Hong Kong Parents: Paternal Involvement in Child Care and Parental Satisfaction as a Function of Mothers' Employment Status

Abstract

Hong Kong people have in the past been described as retaining the traditional Confucian values of filial piety and familial interdependence (Ho, 1996). However, recent studies have highlighted changes in beliefs, values and family relations among Hong Kong people (cf. Hyun et. al., 2002; Ng, 2002). Tam (2001) suggests that the nuclear family structure is now prevalent in Hong Kong, with over 50% of families having both parents in the workforce. In the light of these studies, we compared patterns in child care and parental satisfaction in families with full-time employed (N=877) and non-working (N=369) mothers. Preliminary findings from telephone interview and questionnaire data indicate that, in Hong Kong: fathers’ participation in child care is higher in families where the mother works full-time; mothers who work full-time receive more support in child care from children’s fathers at night time and during weekends than non-working mothers do; young children whose mothers work full-time spend more time interacting with fathers and grandparents; motherinfant relationships are more satisfactory among non-working mothers. These findings suggest that Hong Kong fathers may be becoming more involved in child care as policy and practice in Hong Kong place increasing emphasis on developmental outcomes during early childhood.