IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jscscx/v15y2026i8p529-d2010767.html

Caregiver Portrayal in Hong Kong Newspaper Discourse: A Foucauldian Discourse Analysis

Author

Listed:
  • Maggie Man-Sin Lee

    (Carers Hong Kong, Hong Kong 999077, China)

  • Edgar Ming-Kit Lo

    (Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong 999077, China)

  • Heidi Hoi-Ching Kwan

    (Division of Psychology and Language Sciences, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK)

  • Rachel Hui-To Chow

    (School of English, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong 999077, China)

  • Su Myet Chel Oo

    (School of Public Health, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong 999077, China)

  • Yibing Wang

    (School of Public Health, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong 999077, China)

  • Eliza Lai-Yi Wong

    (Jockey Club School of Public Health and Primary Care, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong 999077, China)

Abstract

The self-perception of caregivers and how others perceive and treat them can profoundly impact their sense of identity, social value, and the dynamics of caregiving. This Foucauldian discourse analysis examined both explicit and implicit portrayals of caregivers in Hong Kong newspaper articles, a society structured by the Confucian ethos of filial piety and postcolonial neoliberalism. Newspaper articles ( n = 27; published between 2017 and 2025) explicitly referencing caregivers were sourced from the online platform of 11 major Hong Kong news outlets. Our analysis revealed five key themes: governmentality and biopower, social support, normalization of caregivers, culturally influenced challenges, and workplace complexities. Caregivers are frequently represented as “invisible heroes,” while caregiving is naturalized as a duty, particularly for women. This narrative, while celebratory, also marginalizes their identities in policy discourse, reflecting Hong Kong’s historical preference for non-interventionist governance, alignment with neoliberal ideals of self-reliance and minimal public expenditure, and the stigmatization of social welfare.

Suggested Citation

  • Maggie Man-Sin Lee & Edgar Ming-Kit Lo & Heidi Hoi-Ching Kwan & Rachel Hui-To Chow & Su Myet Chel Oo & Yibing Wang & Eliza Lai-Yi Wong, 2026. "Caregiver Portrayal in Hong Kong Newspaper Discourse: A Foucauldian Discourse Analysis," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 15(8), pages 1-32, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jscscx:v:15:y:2026:i:8:p:529-:d:2010767
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/15/8/529/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/15/8/529/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jscscx:v:15:y:2026:i:8:p:529-:d:2010767. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager The email address of this maintainer does not seem to be valid anymore. Please ask MDPI Indexing Manager to update the entry or send us the correct address (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.