Gender Inequality In Hong Kong

INTRODUCTION

There are various feminist critiques of the welfare state. They all exist to examine and develop their critiques on the individual welfare services ÐŽV health, housing, education, social security and the personal services. The aim of this paper is to examine the various feminist critiques and thus to decide which perspectives are effective in analyzing the gender inequality in Hong Kong.

This paper is divided into three parts. The first part will discuss the different theoretical and strategic positions within feminism ÐŽV Libertarian Feminism; Liberal Feminism; Welfare Feminism; Radical Feminism; Socialist Feminism and Black Feminism. The second part will try to look at the situation of gender inequality in Hong Kong. At last, this paper will try to make a conclusion on which perspectives of feminism are effective in analyzing the gender inequality in Hong Kong.

FEMINIST CRITIQUES OF THE WELFARE STATE

According to article ÐŽ§Feminist Critique of the Welfare StateЎЁ wrote by Fiona William, there are six dominant perspectives, which were raised by the feminist critique, posing criticism on the existing approaches to welfare within the discipline of social policy. All these feminist critiques of the welfare state are focusing on some areas known as ÐŽ§reproductionЎЁ or ÐŽ§social reproductionЎЁ. These significant feminist critiques are: Libertarian Feminism; Liberal Feminism; Welfare Feminism; Radical Feminism; Socialist Feminism and Black Feminism. They share the idea of why it must be the responsibilities of women to play a major role in social reproduction; or should it be changed to other status. In order to have a clear picture on the thesis of the perspectives of feminist critiques held, in the following paragraphs, this paper tries to define the views from different feminist critiques.

Libertarian Feminism

Libertarian Feminism is considered as the offshoot of neo-liberalism. It emphasises on achieving individual liberty through the freedom of the market rather than through laws for equality and social justice. The descendants think that the partly state intervention is the cause of womenÐŽ¦s oppression which prevents women from achieving liberty. They think that the protective employment legislation is the causes of the employers not to hire women employees. Besides, some benefits like child benefit, or rights to custody, which reinforce a particular domestic role for women. They think these institutional discriminations can be removed only by fostering greater competition where firms would be forced to hire according to abilities.

Basically, libertarian feminists retain the individualism of neo-liberalism proposed. They are generally regarded as the mixing of some supporters reject the biological determinism and deny the significance of womenÐŽ¦s biology; and some of them see the womenÐŽ¦s biology as a fundamental role in womenÐŽ¦s lives. However, they share the belief in individualism and neo-liberalism. They do not acknowledge the impact of structural forces ÐŽV the family, the labour market, class and other divisions ÐŽV on womenÐŽ¦s lives. They think women should have the right to determine their roles as mothers and homemakers.

Liberal Feminism

Liberal feminism has been developed in 18th century. They oppose the rising of bourgeoisie to feudalism. They think that womenÐŽ¦s oppression is caused by the sex-discrimiation and sex-biased laws. They advocate social status should be determined by individual ability and skill, and these could be measured through competition in the market place. Hence, women should be granted equal rights with men since they have equal power to men. They believe that societyÐŽ¦s treatment of women violates their rights to liberty, equality and justice, and in addition creates a waste of womenÐŽ¦s skills and abilities. Hence, they launch various campaigns for seeking the right to vote, to equal education and equal employment.

One of their strategies is the advocate of reforming laws by which to change peopleÐŽ¦s attitudes and outmoded behaviour on sex discrimination. They think through the processes of socialization and education can lastly eliminate sex discrimination. Besides, pressurizing for reforms, to minimize the impact arising from womenÐŽ¦s biology role, is considering as the other strategy that they have adopted. They argue that women should be free to compete and use their skills and abilities if they have the right to contraception and abortion, maternity leave, state provision of day-care facilities for dependants. At last, women would take advantage of opportunities and rights through the reforming laws, provision and changed attitudes and behaviour. Equal opportunities are their ultimate aims to pursue.

Welfare Feminism

Welfare feminism struggles for reforms for women not only in the public sphere but also at their needs as mothers and wives within the private sphere. They think womenÐŽ¦s oppression is caused by the devaluation of motherhood. They ask for equal pay for wives and mothers through the welfare reforms. They strike for the interest of working-class women and seek material improvements for them, for example, maternity benefit, campaigns for infant health centers, antenatal clinic, birth control, etc. They think womenÐŽ¦s status and the conditions of motherhood can be improved by asking more from these state benefits.

Radical Feminism

Radical feminist think that women oppressed is caused by the state exercising male power over women. They criticize state represent patriarchal interests and values. This can be observed from the extent of male domination in all areas of the state, e.g. in the civil service, government and upper echelons of the institutions of health, etc. MenÐŽ¦s power or control over women is institutionalized. Some radical feminist defines the patriarchy in two aspects: male power and control over womenÐŽ¦s sexuality and biology, or their reproductive capacity. Some see patriarchy as rooted in male aggression, or menÐŽ¦s physical power over women, in particular over her sexuality. The other offers a materialist, rather than a biological, definition of patriarchy. This school use Marxist terminology defines the family as a ÐŽ§patriarchal mode of reproductionЎЁ where women are paid for domestic and other services by male; and men are womenÐŽ¦s class enemy.