Risk, individualization and family: managing the family in Hong Kong

The family is the most fundamental unit of society in Hong Kong and the core element of welfare arrangements. Nevertheless, the family system has been challenged by various social forces. Using the concepts of ‘risk’ and ‘individualization’ proposed by Beck and Beck-Gernsheim, this paper examines how family structures and values have become more uncertain, flexible and unconventional. Effective family policy requires a realistic understanding of the boundaries of the state's intervention in an increasingly individualized and reflexively modern society. The paper advocates a cautious but open-minded approach to family intervention.