Chinese Fatherhood, Gender and Family

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-x

   PDF

2. Introduction: Chinese Fatherhood Revisited

   • Mario Liong

   Pages 1-38

3. From Control to Care: Historicizing Family and Fatherhood in Hong Kong

   • Mario Liong

   Pages 39-71

4. Power of Invisible Care

   • Mario Liong

   Pages 73-107

5. Cultural Parent

   • Mario Liong

   Pages 109-137

6. Marrying Masculine Responsibility

   • Mario Liong

   Pages 139-170

7. Rethinking Chinese Fatherhood

   • Mario Liong

   Pages 171-186

8. Back Matter

   Pages 187-224

   PDF

This book is about how Chinese men make sense of and practise fatherhood within the context of changing gender conventions and socio-cultural conditions. Liong analyses data from participant observations at a men's centre, focus groups, and in-depth interviews, to assess the subjective experience and identities of Chinese fathers in Hong Kong, from a gender perspective. His findings show that economic provision, education, and marriage are the three "natural" and "normal" domains of paternity. Not being able to fulfil these requirements is a threat to fathers' masculinity, yet is also an opportunity for fathers to reflect upon these accepted conventions. In order to compensate, these men typically develop a closer and more caring relationship with their children, however these fathers still struggle with feelings of inferiority.

• intimate life
• men
• women
• China
• paternity
• masculinity
• tradition
• sociology
• Extra-marital Affairs
• marriage
• husbands
• wives
• Hong Kong
• class
• children
• childhood
• family
• father
• gender

• Centennial College, Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong

  Mario Liong

Mario Liong is Associate Professor at Ritsumeikan University, Japan. Previously he was Post-Doctoral Researcher at Umeå University, Sweden and Assistant Professor at Centennial College, Hong Kong.

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