Ruby C. M. Chau

Social exclusion of Chinese people in Britain

This article examines the social exclusion experienced by Chinese people in Britain. It challenges the view that the problem is caused by the cultural characteristics of the Chinese community. It shows that the main cause lies in their way of seeking social integration through market participation. The necessity for many Chinese families to secure their market position not only keeps them at a distance from mainstream society but also from their own ethnic community. While they are not outsiders in either of these groups, they only have one foot in each of them.

The sexual division of care in mainland China and Hong Kong

The aim of this paper is to explore the extent to which the sexual division of domestic labour in Hong Kong and mainland China is influenced by traditional Chinese values and contemporary political and economic factors. It discovers that women in these two societies assume far more caring responsibilities than men. This is similar to women in traditional Chinese society. An important reason is that the political and economic conditions in Hong Kong and mainland China favour the reproduction of traditional Chinese values. Hence it can be argued that the unequal division of domestic labour between men and women will continue as long as the political and economic conditions are unfavourable to women. Copyright Joint Editors and Blackwell Publishers Ltd 1997.

Culturally sensitive approaches to health and social care Uniformity and diversity in the Chinese community in the UK

English With the focus on how Chinese older people in the UK use health and social care services, this article demonstrates how these services’ sensitivity is undermined by mistaken assumptions about whether ethnic-minority groups organize health and care according to their cultural principles, and the unity of these principles. French Centré sur la façon dont les Chinois âgés utilisent les services de santé et d’accompagnement social en Grande Bretagne, cet article démontre comment la perception de ces services est biaisée par des représentations erronées selon lesquelles les groupes des minorités ethniques organisent la santé et l’accompagnement social selon leurs principes culturels et en vertu de l’unité de ces principes. Spanish Este artículo se centra en cómo las personas chinas de tercera edad usan los servicios sociales y de salud en Gran Bretaña. Hay suposiciones erróneas acerca de la unidad de principios culturales, y acerca de cómo los grupos étnicos organ izan el cuidado social y el cuidado de la salud. Estas suposiciones debilitan la sensibilidad cultural hacia estos grupos.

Defamilisation of Twenty-Two Countries: Its Implications for the Study of East Asian Welfare Regime

Two analytical tasks have been conducted in this article. The first is to construct a defamilisation typology that covers eighteen OECD members and four tiger economies (namely Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea and Singapore). The second is to demonstrate this typologys contribution to the debate on the existence of two essential preconditions for the development of an all-encompassing East Asian welfare regime: (1) the existence of significant differences in the welfare systems between the East Asian countries and the non-East Asian OECD countries; and (2) the existence of significant similarities in the welfare systems of the East Asian countries.

The sensitivity of United Kingdom health-care services to the diverse needs of Chinese-origin older people.

ABSTRACT This paper is a contribution to the debate on how to make health-care services in the United Kingdom more responsive to the needs of older people who are members of recent immigrant groups. The focus is on the Chinese-origin elders, and the objective is to demonstrate their diverse migrant histories, cultural backgrounds and attitudes to both ‘traditional’ and Western health-care practices. The underlying argument is that if National Health Service staff had a better understanding of the diversity of Chinese older people, this would make an important contribution to making the service more sensitive to their needs. To develop this argument, this paper carries out three main analytical tasks. The first is to discuss the range of strategies adopted by Chinese people in general and Chinese older people in particular to improve their health. The second is to study Chinese peoples heritage of exploring different methods to organise health in response to foreign culture. The third considers the ways in which the sensitivity of British health-care services to the needs of ethnic-minority groups can be improved, with a focus on the culturagram instrument and procedure. Three contrasting examples are presented.

Defamilisation and familisation measures – can they reduce the adverse effects of Pro-Market Pension Reforms On Women In Hong Kong And The Uk?

This article explores the impact of defamilisation and familisation measures for women with caring responsibilities and their implications for access to pensions in later life in Hong Kong and the UK in the context of pro-market pension reforms. The first part of the article discusses pro-market pension reforms and their effects on women, the second discusses the potential role of defamilisation and familisation measures in reducing the adverse effects of pro-market pension reforms, and the third focuses on pension policies and examples of defamilisation and familisation measures in Hong Kong and the UK. Finally, on the basis of the discussion of the link between defamilisation and familisation measures and pension measures for women, we assert that both Hong Kong and the UK still have much to do in developing multi-option measures throughout the life course, measures that could limit future inequalities in retirement between men and women.

Understanding the diverse health needs of Chinese people in Britain and developing cultural sensitive services

• Summary: This article aims to examine the diverse health needs of Chinese people in Britain and explore how the understanding of this diversity contributes to the development of culturally sensitive services. Two arguments are highlighted. First, it is undoubtedly insensitive to impose mainstream health services on ethnic minority groups, such as Chinese people in Britain, as it neglects to accommodate the heritage that they want to uphold. Second, it may be equally insensitive to take for granted the fact that all members of ethnic minority groups prefer to organize their health according to their heritage. • Findings: A better understanding of the diverse preferences for health services of ethnic minority groups in general and Chinese people’s in particular would help health professionals to organize and deliver their services in a more culturally sensitive manner. The article has three main parts. The first part examines the importance of cultural sensitivity practices in health services. The second part explores the diverse health needs of Chinese people in Britain. The last part introduces two analytical tools, namely the culturagram and Titterton’s paradigm for welfare. • Applications: By applying these tools to four cases, the discussion shows how they contribute to the understanding of the diverse health needs of Chinese people and the development of culturally sensitive services.

The diversity based approach to culturally sensitive practices

This paper discusses the main ideas of the Diversity Based approach to culturally sensitive practices in health and social care services.This approach is important in emphasizing the fluid nature of culture, the diversity in cultural groups and the impact of inegalitarian and racist power relations on their life. Chinese people in the UK are used as an example to demonstrate how exploration of the diversity of ethnic minority groups could strengthen cultural sensitivity. Some methods for the realization of the Diversity Based approach, such as the culturagram and user involvement, have also been highlighted.

Marketisation and Residualisation – Recent Reforms in the Medical Financing System in Hong Kong

The aim of this paper is to study the Hong Kong governments attempt to promote residualism and market principles in medical services through changing its fee and charge policy, strengthening the principle of selectivity at the expense of the universalist principle and proposing compulsory saving measures. It is argued that these reform measures are related to the governments mixed attitude towards medical services – that is, whilst providing medical services in response to political demands and the requirements of capitalism, the government wants to reduce the challenges these services pose to capitalism and its financial policy.

Social welfare and economic development in China and Hong Kong

The article studies the relation between social welfare development and economic development in China and Hong Kong. It is found that social welfare in these two economies makes important contributions to economic development, and that its expansion is associated positively with economic growth. However, despite this, it is still difficult to judge whether or not social welfare in Hong Kong and China can be defined as well-developed. Its social status, judged by the independent value ascribed to it, is apparently less than would be inferred from the size of the material resources actually allocated to it in both economies. It is essentially subordinate to economic considerations and has no separate integrity.