Poverty, family life, and migration experience of women in the Northern District of Hong Kong

The Northern district of Hong Kong is a key residential area of cross-border families. This presentation focuses on the lives of women in these families, especially those suffered from poverty. These mothers found difficult to leave the poverty trap because their time was severely restricted by household labor (particularly childcaring) and they could not apply their working experiences and skills accumulated in the mainland to the job market of Hong Kong. This unveils the intersectionality of class, gender, family, and migration in the context of Hong Kong-mainland integration. As a collaborative research with a local NGO, this presentation also discusses the benefits and limitations of current social services to these women, providing practical suggestions to the making of relevant social policies.