SOSC 103D Social Inequality in HK

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SOSC 103DSocial Inequality in HK

• Lecture 7 Class Studies

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Class studies in Hong Kong

• Background
• A rapid economic growth since late 60s
• Development of social policies in 70s
• Experience an overall betterment of lives
• Improvement in terms of housing, education,
  medical services

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Class studies in late 1970s

• Framework
• The descriptive and predictive power of Marxist
  Theory
• Main Concern and argument
• even the working-class people are now enjoying a
  middle-class way of life. (late 70s)

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Class studies in late 1980s

• Change in the economic structure
• Change in the occupational structure accordingly
• Fishing
• Manufacturing
• Tourism
• Banking
• Financing

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Distribution of working population by occupations
Occupations/ Year 1961 1971 1981 1991 1961-71 1971-81
Professional 61k 80k 144k 237k 31 85
Administrator/ Manager 37k 38k 64k 139k 3 71
Clerical worker 70k 129k 294k 504k 85 129
Sales 163k 164k 248k 313k 1 51
Service worker 180k 230k 374k 507k 28 63
Fisherman/ Farmer 88k 59k 51k 25k -32 -15
Production workers Transport, Storage Machine operators 580k 808k 1213k 982k 39 50
Unclassifiable 13k 40k 17k 8k 201 -57
Total 1,191k 1,547k 2,404k 2,715k 29 55
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Other Hong Kong Studies

• Chinese society Hong Kong urban
  industrial society
• Traditional Chinese culture Modern urban
  culture
• Ethos of HK Chinese
• Industrial development
• Colonial history and Social policies

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HK Class Structure in late 80s
Social Class
I Higher managerial professional occupations 8.6
II Lower managerial professional occupations 11.3
III Intermediate (white collar) occupations 9.6
IV Small employers and own-account workers 14.0
V Lower-grade technicians, supervisors 15.9
VI Skilled manual workers 15.8
VII Semi-skilled to unskilled workers, agricultural 24.8

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40
40
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The Rise of Middle Classes (80s)

• Class Structure From triangle to diamond shape
• Main Concern and Argument
• Most of people in HK are now middle-class
• Increasing number of working-class people have
  became middle-class

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Results of the Development

• An intellectual challenge of class studies
• Death of class
• When the whole society become a middle class
  society equal and fair
• Limited inequalities in
• Income
• Educational attainment
• Housing resources

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• Readings
• Leung, Benjamin K. P. (1994) Class and Class
  Formation in Hong Kong Studies, in S.K. Lau, et
  al. (ed.) Inequalities and Development Social
  Stratification in Chinese Societies
• Optional Readings
• ???, ??? (1998) ???????, ??? (email me for an
  English version if youre interested)