Understanding Marriage: A Hong Kong Case Study

Introduction

Introduction I t has long been assumed that Asian marriages enjoy an intrinsic stability not to be found elsewhere and that an enduring quality is to be found in the relationship, based on tradition and family ties. This may once have been true. But to an increasing extent it is an assumption that cannot be supported by the evidence around us. Marital problems and dissolution are on the increase in Hong Kong, and this increase is exponential compared to the situation a generation ago. This is not surprising. If it is true that the marital relationship can break down when inexorable external pressures bear on it, then many marriages in Hong Kong are at risk. Over the last decade our society has been presented with social and political problems of an unprecedented nature which have had an inevitable effect on our perception of personal ties, and on long-term marital and family stability. Global economists may be fond of pointing to Hong Kong in their search for an ideal example of free market enterprise, but marriage counsellors here have begun to count the cost of such frenetic activity in human terms. In 1991, the Hong Kong Council of Social Services reported that out of an active counselling caseload of 9795, the main problem in 2284 or 23.3% of the cases was identified as some aspect of the marital relationship . Another cluster of 2576 (34.5%) cases, classified as parental-child, child care and child dispute cases, could be directly or indirectly associated with marital difficulties. The Social Welfare Department Annual Report (1990/1991) recorded for 1991, intakes of marital conflict cases to be 2854, as well as 198 cases of battered wives, 108 cases of child dispute, 374 in-law relationship difficulties, amongst a host of problems involving family relationships and children and young persons. The Department also carried a caseload of 1937 single parents though these included both widowed and separated parents. In 1981 the Judiciary re- 6 Understanding Marriage: A Hong Kong Case Study ported that 2811 cases of divorce petitions were filed and 2060 decrees absolute granted. By 1991 this had risen to 7287 petitions and 6295 decrees absolute (Hong Kong Annual Report, 1992). The Hong Kong 1991 Population Census recorded that in the ten year span from 1981 to 1991, the percentage of divorced or separated men and women had doubled from 0.6% to l.2% (Hong Kong Census and Statistics, 1991). These figures may not compare with those of many other countries, in particular those of highly developed and industrialized countries such as the United States. However, in terms of the amount of distress and disruption to personal life, and in terms of the increasing number of spouses seeking help over tensions in their marriage, the indications are that marital issues in Hong Kong have begun to assume dimensions similar to those experienced elsewhere. In Hong Kong, there is growing concern over threats to the stability of marriage as seen in the accelerating phenomenon of marital dissolution and the serious personal and social consequences that follow from this. The breakup of a marriage is an intensely personal experience which has widespread implications. Sustained efforts are now being made to promote a belief in the centrality of the family (Strachan, 1993) and in the marital relationship on which the family is based, and work is being done at the theoretical and clinical levels to understand the complexities which surround marital and family issues. The search for more effective practices in marriage counselling has focused attention on the need for assessment and intervention approaches culturally relevant for Chinese couples. Concern over the quality and stability of marriage has been a central issue of research theorists for decades. Research in the 1960s in the United States focused on the relevance of various demographic characteristics , personality, and certain social variables as they affect marital happiness and permanence. Studies on the marital life cycle produced the surprising finding 'that children tend to detract from rather than contribute to marital happiness' (Hicks, and Platt, 1970). Reviews in the 1970s reported continued interest in the study of the effects of children on marriage, on marital quality over the life cycle and at transition points. New topics that emerged at this time reflected the social trends of the decade. These were cohabitation, student marriages, extramarital affairs, the impact of social networks, and the effects of wife employment (Spanier and Lewis, 1980). By the 1980s the scope of research had expanded to...