Life in happy land : using virtual space and doing motherhood in Hong Kong
Document Type
Journal article
Source Publication
Gender, Place and Culture : A Journal of Feminist Geography
Publication Date
1-1-2008
Volume
15
Issue
2
First Page
169
Last Page
188
Publisher
Routledge
Keywords
Hong Kong, internet, virtual space, working mothers
Abstract
This paper examines how a group of Hong Kong working mothers use the internet in performing and realizing their paid work and domestic role identities. The internet is a technology-enabled space and also what Michel de Certeau calls a 'practiced place', where its nature and functions are necessarily determined by the actions and practices of agents. Through participant observation and the analysis of a sample of chatroom and forum messages from a user-driven Hong Kong-based parenting website called Happy Land, I examine the relationship between this virtual space and its users. I find that the website has developed beyond its technology-mediated nature into a community of face-to-face friendships and social and emotional support. In effect, this virtual space plays a role in the social reproduction of the contemporary dual-earner family by enabling working mothers who use the website to perform roles in production and reproduction respectively.
DOI
10.1080/09663690701863281
Print ISSN
0966369X
E-ISSN
13600524
Publisher Statement
Copyright © 2008 Taylor & Francis
Access to external full text or publisher's version may require subscription.
Full-text Version
Publisher’s Version
Language
English
Recommended Citation
Chan, H. N., Annie. (2008). Life in happy land: Using virtual space and doing motherhood in Hong Kong. Gender, Place and Culture: A Journal of Feminist Geography, 15(2), 169-188. doi: 10.1080/09663690701863281