Doing family, contesting gender and expanding affinity: Family practices of married women in Hong Kong

Despite rapid social and economic changes, the persistence of gender inequalities in the conventional nuclear family remains puzzling. It seems unlikely that women will contest gender inequalities if they have accepted the ideology of separate spheres or if they regard mothering and care giving as integral to their feminine identity. However, this article re-examines these issues by analysing the family practices of 23 married Chinese women. It argues that how and why women 'do gender' have to be understood along with their family circumstances and their broader social contexts. It also reveals how women in unhappy marriages have developed creative strategies to subvert the needs and authority of their husbands and de-centre the nuclear family as their sole source of care and support. The article contributes to the discussion by unfolding the complexity, fluidity and cultural specificity of practices, agency and change. Copyright © 2012 The Policy Pres.