Family & Marriage ----Present and Past UK and China

Comparison between present and the past: 1. Delayed marriage: *Educational: educated population is increasing * Occupational: working people especially professional workers

2. Premarital sex on the rise  Influence of mass media  Changes of social values

3. Cohabitation —fulfilling intimacy need  Some will eventually marry  Test their compatibility for marriage  As a lifestyle: free from family responsibility

QUESTION: What’s your view on cohabitation?  Nowadays, more and more youth opt for cohabitation, say, university students of opposite sex rent to live together….  So, What’s your view on cohabitation?  Do you….  A. approve B. disapprove C. do not care ?

4. Living alone—a lifestyle  “Unmarried aristocrats”  How many of you would probably choose to lead a single life?

5. Divorce rate on the rise:  Fundamental causes : 1. People value the quality of marriage 2. Social reforms—leave home for job—long time separation 3. Raise of women’s social status—independent 4. Logic: love -beauty – temporary& fragile=>love can not last forever=>families which are based solely on love are to end ultimately.

5. Divorce rate on the rise:  Direct causes (in the case of Chinese people): Simplification of procedures People tend to take an usual attitude towards divorce nowadays

6. Employed mothers:  Out of necessity; husband’s income not enough  Want a better living standard: double income  Define careers as self-fulfillments Among all the changes, the increase of working mothers is the most significant. It redefines the sexual role of both men and women, and leads to the so called women’s liberation and thus men’s.

Female labor force participation rate in HK

Comparison between British and Chinese F&M  1.Love OR Expression? British people value love more than Chinese people? No! The difference lies in economy. i.e. Living standard But there are differences in the way they show their affections  死鬼  I Love U

2. Which relation is more valued:  Husband-wife relationship OR parents-children relationship?  British (western world): husband-wife relationship  Chinese: parents-child relationship  (Examples)  In the process of social transition, Chinese people are attaching more importance to husband-wife relationship

3. Home Education& Child Rearing:  Western countries-pay more attention on children’s independence;  Chinese-parents tend to control or instruct  Western countries-tend to promote children’s creativity and gregariousness;  Chinese-moral values  Chinese: High expectation --conflicts about children’s academic achievements

references  1.htm   id=  《 中国婚姻家庭变迁 》 ，刘达临等著，中国社会出版社  Robert H. Lauer