FOR most of her second marriage Mrs Chan has led a stressful life. When her husband's son from a previous marriage bullied her daughter from her last marriage, she wondered how to handle the sensitive situation.
Her teenage stepson refused to talk to her, even though they lived together. And to make matters worse, she needed to take care of another child with a chronic illness.
The problems in her family were such a burden that she became emotionally unstable and eventually sought help from social workers. Since taking the step she has begun to establish a better relationship with her stepson, who is also now getting along fine with his stepsister.
Mrs Chan was among a group of stepmothers interviewed by an assistant professor in applied social studies, Gladys Lam Chan Lan-tak, who is finalising a study on the problems faced by step-families.
Compared with those involving extra-marital affairs, these families have received much less social attention.
Yet, according to Dr Lam, traditional Chinese bias against stepmothers poses hardships for many women.