ABSTRACT
As 98% of the popUlation in Hong Kong is made Up of ethnic Chinese, culturally it is not unlike other societies with a predominant Chinese population (Latourette, 1964). A common feature shared by all Chinese societies is the important place given to the family, which is also regarded as the most fundamental institution in
society (Baker, 1979). Recent research shows that although the family system in present-day Chinese societies still possesses the same characteristic of being founded upon blood relations with members descending from the same ancestor, it has changed greatly from its traditional forms and purposes (Fei, 1984). In traditional China, the family and kinship system conferred upon its members distinct rights and responsibilities but these entitlements and obligations have so much been weakened nowadays, as a result of industrialization and urbanization, that the belief that the family is the best provider of care and support for its members has been cast into doubt (Chow, 1990).
