Cross-Border Families in Hong Kong: The Role of Social Class and Politics

Marriage in an immigrant society: Education and the transition to first marriage in Hong Kong

“…These immigration patterns create a relatively high degree of affinity between Hong Kong and mainland China compared to other immigrant societies, and accordingly cross-border marriages are common Zhou 2016). As with other international marriages, which are dominated by males in wealthier societies marrying females from less developed societies (Jones and Gubhaju 2009), most cross-border marriages have paired grooms living in Hong Kong with brides from mainland China (So 2003;Zhang and Wu 2011;Zhou 2016). Therefore, the large proportion of immigrants has enlarged the pool of potential partners in Hong Kong, especially the pool of potential female partners.…”

“…Due to the socioeconomic gap between Hong Kong and mainland China and the traditional Chinese custom of women marrying up and moving in with their husbands, the prospect of marrying a Hong Kong resident and relocating to Hong Kong is highly appealing to many mainland Chinese women. Hong Kong Chinese men who have been working in mainland China consistently report the impression of their increased attractiveness as male partners in mainland China, where the living cost is much lower than that in Hong Kong, which makes it easier to find younger, prettier, and sometimes even more-educated wives (Ho 2012;Newendorp 2008;So 2003). The shift in Hong Kong's immigration policy from importing labour to family reunion has also incentivised mainland women to gain Hong Kong residency through marriage (So 2003).…”

“…Hong Kong Chinese men who have been working in mainland China consistently report the impression of their increased attractiveness as male partners in mainland China, where the living cost is much lower than that in Hong Kong, which makes it easier to find younger, prettier, and sometimes even more-educated wives (Ho 2012;Newendorp 2008;So 2003). The shift in Hong Kong's immigration policy from importing labour to family reunion has also incentivised mainland women to gain Hong Kong residency through marriage (So 2003). In addition, a local man marrying an immigrant wife is less pressurised to purchase a house in Hong Kong because of the relatively long time required for mainland wives to reunite with their husbands in Hong Kong.…”

Asian Cross-border Marriage Migration : Demographic Patterns and Social Issues

“…In the 1970s, this tradition inevitably excluded many of the young male migrants from the Mainland -who were typically less educated and worked primarily in the manufacturing industry -from the pool of eligible, educated women of Hong Kong (So 2003). This is especially true in rapidly industrialized societies, such as Hong Kong, because cultural changes tend to occur much more slowly than do social changes, which include rapid improvements in education and employment opportunities for women.…”

Migrants, families and the state: Be/coming Taiwanese in a transnational world

“…As a result, the world appears polarized between a well-off population, who enjoy the benefits of new patterns of 'flexible accumulation, ' and a 'super-exploited' population, who are unable to control their own destiny (Robinson, 1998: 578). This dichotomous view also characterizes the scholarship on East Asian migrations, divided between celebratory accounts of new opportunities offered to transnational Asian elites, especially those from richer societies in the region such as Singapore, Taiwan and Hong Kong (Ong, 1999;Pe-Pua et al, 1996;Yeoh et al, 2005), and the constraints and problems faced by transnational workers and marriage migrants from poorer countries such as China, Vietnam, Indonesia, and the Philippines (Cheng, 2013;Davin, 2007;Sandel, 2015;So, 2003;Suzuki, 2003;Tsai, 2011;Wang and Chang, 2002).…”