Male perceptions of changes in marriage and the family among the boat people of Hong Kong

Abstract

The main purpose of the study was to look at possible differences in perceptions between the older and the younger generation of the boat people about marriage and the family. The respondents for this study were the boat people from the Shaukiwan Fish Market of Hong Kong.

A questionnaire using a number of items pertaining to marriage and family living from the large scale project of The Urban Family Life Survey Of Hong Kong was developed. The questionnaire consisted of sixty-three questions, employing both closed and open-ended responses. The interpretative questions of attitudes and perceptions include: the courtship and marriage process, husband and wife relationship, family size and family planning, parent and child relationships, kin network, and career choices.

Data for this study were collected in the summer of 1981, and were analysed using a chi-square statistical test. The level of significant was set at .05. The total number of respondents who participated in this study was 60. The two independent groups studied were an older male generation (aged 45 to 79) and a younger male generation (aged 20 to 35).

The results indicate that there were statistically significant differences in the attitudes and perceptions of older and younger male boat people of Hong Kong in many aspects of marriage and family living.