Why does men's study matter?
Among many studies which surround specific social groups, there seems to be a deficiency of study done specifically about males. When discussing gender in social problems or personal problems, many studies would naturally gravitate towards the female group, since female have been and still are a disadvantaged group in many perspectives. However, this take would overlook the practical need of males when they are facing challenges. Through exploring men's issues from different dimensions, this website attempts to fill the gaps.
Why men's studies in Greater China?
Greater China not only contains a great portion of the world population, but also being an area that is particularly affected by gender stereotypes. The mainstream Chinese culture sets males in a rigid frame, in which males have much to live up to, expectations in family, work, interpersonal relationships, personal abilities etc. Much of these stereotypes create issues for men living in Chinese culture. This website hopes to provide a brief summary of the male situation in Greater China and provides some more insight in terms of specific male issues. In addition, statistics over other men’s studies-related issues, such as child abuse, spouse battering and sexual violence, have been integrated to present a more complete picture.
What are the four main topics about?
Studies on Chinese men done by Dr. Simon Chan and other co-researchers are grouped under four categories. In Trauma, men facing domestic violence, sexual abuse and grief are studied to facilitate the understanding of their needs and coping strategies. In Men in Disadvantage, the misery and needs of divorced men, intertwined father-son conflicts and the newly formulated intervention model for the homeless men are presented. For practitioners in helping professions, Service Delivery reveals the need of low-income Chinese male service users, as well as challenges, theory and practice in working with them shared by social workers. Lastly, factors affecting male service users in their help-seeking behaviors, gender differences in interpreting intimacy and emotionally focused marriage enrichment group practice are examined under Gender Difference.
What information is provided under Data Analysis?
We categorize all data analysis into six parts. In Greater China, the following statistics about Hong Kong, Shanghai, Guangdong and Taipei are compared, including demographic characteristics, education and training characteristics, labour force characteristics, financial status, number of registered social worker and specific social problems (suicide, addiction problem, homelessness, spouse/cohabitant battering and sexual violence). In HK 10 Years, the above types of data for the past ten years of Hong Kong are collected and arranged by year. More specifically, the latest data are sorted out and presented by gender in HK Gender. For the remaining three parts, Battered Spouse Cases, Child Abuse Cases and Sexual Violence Cases, annual numbers of respective cases reported between 2005 and 2017 is presented with interacted charts.
What can I find from References and Organizations?
You may find further research on Chinese men's study published by other scholars under References. Besides, organizations that develop and provide men services are mentioned under Organizations. Please do not hesitate to seek help if needed.
Who is this website for?
This website hopes to help inform the general public about various men's studies and raise awareness on men's issues; create a small-scale hub for some related statistics concerning men and Greater China; as well as promote and make available Hong Kong Baptist University's and local Non-governmental organizations' effort in serving and understanding the local male population.
How can I understand more about men's studies?
You are welcome to continue reading other works released by the organizations mentioned in Acknowledgement. You are also welcome to follow Dr Simon Chan's future work and related projects from Hong Kong Baptist University.
Will this website be updated?
The data along with all published work are updated to the first half of 2020. Further updates will be made when possible, with new releases of data and publications.
