A Choice under Constraints: Child Labour in Hong Kong from 1950 to 1971
Abstract
This is the untold story of child labour in Hong Kong from 1950 to 1971. Based on 31 interviews conducted mostly with former child labourers and archival research, this thesis examines the many facets of child work from former child labourers’ perspectives. This study aims to broaden our understanding of the post-war economic miracle, child work experiences, and why children worked and contributed to the household economy. While the world was eager to stop child labour, the influx of Chinese newcomers kept it alive. Although some children chose to work out of filial motivations, they made their choices under duress and debased socioeconomic conditions. Family circumstances, limited education access and the lack of poor relief were among the constraints that reinforced their choices. This research enriches the mainstream narrative of Hong Kong’s economic success by documenting the toil and sweat of the post-war generation that built contemporary Hong Kong.
Description
Keywords
Anthropology, Anthropology--Cultural
Citation
Lau, N. Y. (2016). A Choice under Constraints: Child Labour in Hong Kong from 1950 to 1971 (Master's thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca. doi:10.11575/PRISM/24659