Re-examining the middle-class thesis: Class profiles of families employing migrant domestic workers in Hong Kong

Abstract

To what extent is employing migrant domestic workers (MDWs) a middle-class practice in Hong Kong? I drew quantitative data from the Population Census and a representative household survey to test the middle-class thesis. The results show that a significant proportion of the families that currently employ or had ever employed MDWs were not from middle-class backgrounds. As the practice of hiring MDWs spread to families from lower socio-economic backgrounds, it may be expected that the working and living conditions of MDWs may deteriorate due to the fewer resources of these families.