Terry Chan Wai-nok drew satisfaction from his work as a school administrator and enjoyed socialising with colleagues. But after his daughter, Tin-ching, was born last year, the 29-year-old began to rethink his role.
'My wife and I were discussing who should stay at home to take care of the baby,' he says. 'As a man in my prime, I should be a go-getter and try my best to build a career. But I knew my job as a school administrator did not hold as much prospect as that of my wife. Her job as an interior designer is stable and pays well.
'Eventually, we agreed that I would quit my job and become a full-time dad.'
The ranks of 'Mr Mums' have been swelling in Hong Kong over the past decade. Asian societies are still largely wedded to traditional notions of men's key role being outside the home as providers, with women being responsible for raising the children and keeping house. But recent studies show shifts in conventional division of duties.
The number of full-time fathers (those who list homemaking as their primary work) has risen from 3,200 to 15,000 between 1986 and 2010, according to the Women and Men in Hong Kong report released by Census and Statistics Department last year. It mirrors men's falling participation in the workforce, from 80.5 per cent in 1986 to 68.6 per cent in 2010, with that of women rising from 48.9 per cent to 52 per cent over the same period.
Meanwhile, younger women are catching up in the salaries stakes as they become better educated. Although men account for more than 60 per cent of the 800,000 people in Hong Kong who earn more than HK$20,000 per month, a different picture emerges when we take a closer look at younger earners, with 38,000 high-income women in the 20 to 29 age group compared to 35,100 men.
Such shifts recently prompted the Equal Opportunities Commission to have the Gender Research Centre at Chinese University carry out a study on how men view their identity.