Parenting in Stepfamilies

Social Attitudes, Parental Perceptions and Parenting Behaviours in Hong Kong

Gladys Lan Tak Lam-Chan

• Publisher: Taylor & Francis
• Year: 2018
• Print ISBN: 9781138327450
• eBook ISBN: 9780429830068
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Social Sciences
• Subtopic: Social Work
• Index: Social Sciences

First published in 1999, this book contains the findings of an exploratory study using in-depth interviews on parenting and the dynamics of Hong Kong Chinese stepfamilies. The stepfamily is a topic which is in lack of local research in Hong Kong, but is an emerging family structure which has increasing need for professional intervention. This study began as a result of the researcher's concern about the soaring number of divorces and broken families in Hong Kong and her curiosity to uncover the untold stories of stepfamilies. The literature review, presentation and thematic analysis of the findings of this study will increase the readers knowledge and understanding of stepfamilies in contexts which are different from Western societies. This book unveils the perceptions and life experiences of the stepmothers, social workers and teachers attitudes towards stepfamilies and the parenting behaviours of stepfamilies in Hong Kong. The author has reflectively analyzed the complex interplay between the social attitudes, cultural stereotyping of stepfamilies influenced by Chinese traditional values, aspirations towards marriage and marital relationships, parental expectations and parent-child relationships, ideology and policy issues affecting professional intervention.

1 Introduction

That dear octopus we call the family, from whose tentacles we can never quite escape.

— Dodie Smith, DEAR OCTOPUS

A family is a place where we are born and brought up. It brings us joy and gives us pain. We love it, we hate it. But once we are part of it, we will always be so. Some people aspire to harmonious family life and happy marriage, but their experiences are not quite what they anticipate. This book is a record of my investigation into the untold life experiences of some people in Hong Kong who expected better family life and happier marriages the second time. I shall begin by explaining why I was interested in exploring stepfamilies in the society in which I have been living since birth.

Background and Rationale for Pursuing This Study

In recent years, research into family life conducted by researchers and clinicians from developed countries has caused concern with the figures related to divorces and stepfamilies. From the United Nations Demographic Yearbook 1993, the crude divorce rate¹ of the United States was 4.76 in 1992; whilst that for the United Kingdom's was 2.96 in 1991. More refined measures of divorce rate² are causing the professionals involved greater concern. Goode (1993) pointed out that the divorce rate for the married women in the United States in 1988 was 21 per 1,000. Marriage and Divorce Statistics of England and Wales (1993) show that the divorce rate for persons divorcing per 1,000 married population in England & Wales was 13.9 (HMSO, 1995). According to 'Social Trends 1995', divorces in United Kingdom increased sharply to 173,000 in 1992, that is, more than double the number in 1971 (Governmental Central Statistical Office, 1995).

In the United States, as predicted by its National Center for Health Statistics in 1990, one in two marriages will end in divorce, and 40% of children born in this decade will experience the breakup of their parents' marriage (Petersen & Steinman, 1994). Fine & Schwebel estimated 8.8 million of all children under the age of 18 in the United States (19.1%) live in stepfamilies and 5.8 million (12.7%) are stepchildren (Fine & Schwebel, 1991). McGoldrick & Carter predicted that by 1990 one in six children would live in a remarried family (Walsh, 1992).

In the United Kingdom, statistics in 'Social Trends 1995' show that 'remarriages grew rapidly in the 1960s and 1970s, from 14% of all marriages in 1961 to 34% in 1981 (Government Central Statistical Office, 1995, p.36). Overall, more than a third of all marriages in 1993 were remarriages and there were about half a million stepfamilies in Great Britain in 1991 (Government Central Statistical Office, 1996). The Stepfamily Information Sheet shows that it is likely that more than 1 million children are living in stepfamilies and that a further 1.5 million are currently living with a separated or divorced parent who may remarry. One in four children is likely to grow up in a stepfamily (Robinson, 1993). These growing figures have alerted the helping professionals to the fact that problems generated by stepfamilies and stepparenting should not be underestimated.

The city of Hong Kong, where I live and work, is also facing a rise in the divorce rate and a change of social attitude towards marriage, divorce, and remarriage. In 1972, the overall divorce rate was 0.09 per 1,000 population but it has increased to 0.97 per 1,000 in 1992 (Hong Kong Council of Social Service, 1993). Although the number of divorce decrees absolute granted in 1997 was only 10,492 (Hong Kong Judiciary, 1997) in a 6.6 million population (see Table 1.1 on p.3), it should be noted that the number of marriages ending in divorce dramatically increased almost four and a half fold between 1977 and 1987, and ten fold between 1977 and 1997. This increase does not take into account those who chose to dissolve their marital relationship through private arrangement.

Table 1.1 Divorce Statistics (Hong Kong)*

Year	Number of Divorce Decrees Absolute
1977	955
1978	1,420
1979	1,520
1980	2,087
1981	2,060
1982	2,673
1983	2,750
1984	4,086
1985	4,313
1986	4,257
1987	5,055
1988	5,098
1989	5,507
1990	5,551
1991	6,295
1992	5,650
1993	7,454
1994	7,735
1995	9,272
1996	9,473
1997	10,492

* Figures supplied by Judiciary Hong Kong

The Government White Paper 'Social Welfare into the 1990s and Beyond' (1991) has examined the impact of divorce on family members and confirmed a need to strengthen the relevant support services for couples and children. Unfortunately, the Census and Statistics Department of the Hong Kong Government has not collected data on the number of remarried persons or families. It is only since 1991 that the Hong Kong Council of Social Service -- a co-ordinating organization which has almost all of the non-governmental social welfare agencies as its members -- has collected minimal data on stepfamilies. The data is collected by asking one question: 'Is the family a stepfamily? -- yes or no' in an one-page face sheet to be completed by the social worker taking in a client. Due to constraints on manpower, the Council has not yet made fall use of the information collected for facilitating the improvement of policies and services.

The limited information which I can gather at this time as regards the number of stepfamilies and their main problems reveals that stepfamilies only comprised about 3% of all the active cases handled by almost all the non-governmental family service agencies in 1996 in Hong Kong (see Table 1.2 below).

Table 1.2 Number of Stepfamily Counselling Cases Handled by Member Family Service Agencies of the Hong Kong Council of Social Service

Year	Number of Stepfamilies	Total Number of Active Counselling Case
1991	185	5,503
1992	245	6,978
1993	318	10,797
1994	351	11,482
1995	382	12,683
1996	439	13,603

Examining the raw data more closely, it is found that the stepfamilies in Hong Kong receiving family services had the following problems: marital relationships (30.1%), child care (13.2%), and parent-children relationships (10.7%) as recorded by the non-governmental organizations in 1996 (Hong Kong Council of Social Service Clientele Information Statistics) (Appendix 1). A special group of clients, i.e. stepparents who are known to be child abusers, comprised only 8.6% of the total active c...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Dedication
• Title
• Copyright
• Contents
• Figures and tables
• Acknowledgements
• 1 Introduction
• 2 Social Attitudes, Parental Perceptions in Stepparenting and Parenting Behaviours of Stepfamilies: A Review of Western Literature
• 3 Traditional Chinese Beliefs and Current Views in Hong Kong Influencing Family Life and Family Relationships
• 4 Research Methodology
• 5 Social Attitudes and Parental Perceptions of Stepparenting in Stepfamilies in Hong Kong: Findings and Discussion
• 6 Parenting Behaviours in Stepfamilies in Hong Kong: Findings and Discussion
• 7 Reflections on the Themes and the Issues
• 8 Implications for Social Work Practice
• Appendix 1 Major Problems Faced by Stepfamilies Which Receive Family Services in Hong Kong
• Appendix 2 Hong Kong Child Protection Registry Statistics on Active Child Abuse Cases Involving Stepparent-abusers Handled by the Social Welfare Department and the NGOs
• Appendix 3 Against Child Abuse's Annual Statistics (June 1979 - March 1997): Number of Stepparent-abusers Receiving Casework Service
• Appendix 4 Tasks and Difficulties of Stepfamilies
• Appendix 5(A) Interview Guide for Interviewing Stepmothers
• Appendix 5(B) Interview Guide for Interviewing Social Workers and Teachers
• Appendix 6 Reflections of a Hong Kong Stepmother
• Appendix 7(A) Personal Particulars of the Social Workers Interviewed
• Appendix 7(B) Personal Particulars of the Teachers Interviewed
• Bibliography