Young, poor and stuck: what can Hong Kong do to help those trapped in cycle of poverty?
- Widening income disparity, soaring cost of living make it harder for poor to achieve a better life
- Educational success remains critical, but having a degree does not guarantee escape from poverty
Working two part-time jobs between attending classes, caring for his mother and helping with housework, David Wong, 22, often found himself exhausted.
He said he was doing all he could to chase his dream of becoming a registered traditional Chinese medicine practitioner and breaking out of poverty.
“I hope that through my hard work, I will be able to provide a good life for my mum and myself,” said the Year Two student at the Technological and Higher Education Institute of Hong Kong.
What left him feeling disheartened, however, was realising that despite his best efforts, a better life might remain beyond his reach.
“I have a huge debt of tuition to repay, and I may never be able to afford a home,” he said, estimating that his tuition debt would be about HK$150,000.
Experts have noted that poor young Hongkongers struggle to escape their circumstances and no matter how hard they work, many may stay stuck in an unending loop of intergenerational poverty.
International studies in various societies have found that poverty can persist in families from one generation to the next for a variety of reasons.