Standard Working Hours

Introduction After the implementation of statutory minimum wage in Hong Kong, many people urge the government to have law about standard working hours as employers may use non-paid overtime as a means to minimize the labor cost in order to offset the increase of labor costs caused by the minimum wage. First of all, we would like to talk about the definition of setting a standard working hour. The idea is to set a standard working hour per week. If employees’ working hours are longer than the standard one, employers have to pay additional bonus for the extra working hours.Reason for having standard working hours Regardless of a follow-up action for minimum wage policy, it can ensure better health for employees. The Occupational Safety and Health Ordinance stipulate that employers must ensure the occupational safety and health of their employees. Yet, the problem of long working hour is severe. Taking accounting field as an example, it is common for us to hear the employees in à ¢â‚¬Å"Big Four† have sudden health because of long working hours.Setting up standard working hours can discourage employers to ask employees to have overtime so that employees can have more resting time and more job opportunities may be created as employers may need more workforce to avoid employees having overtime (can’t think of any rebuttal, strong point). Worries from Business sector (EMPLOYERS PERSPECTIVE) Currently, seven of the city’s biggest business chambers have sent a rare joint letter to the government expressing their concerns about this issue.They claimed that this policy may hurt the economic environment in Hong Kong since their labor costs will further increase (increase in labour cost due to the need to employ more workers to compensate for the reduction in working hours per worker. This might involve an increase in wages, administration cost, cost of training etc. Additional cost and resources needed *â€Å"Lau Chin-ho, a deputy chairman of the Federation of Hong Kong Industries, on RTHK's City Forum, said standard working hours could increase business costs and that other alternatives should be explored before drafting a law.He was responding to a government report, released last week, which says employers would need to pay up to HK$55. 2 billion more a year in wages if standard working hours were introduced in Hong Kong. †Ã¢â‚¬  The Labour Department of Hong Kong generated 27 scenarios of the likely impact by altering three elements: a 40 to 48-hour week, overtime pay of one to 1. 5 times regular pay and exemption criteria for staff such as managers and executives. Depending on the scenario, it estimates the employers' additional labour costs at HK$8 billion to HK$55. 2 billion a year, or 1. per cent to 11. 4 per cent of total expenditure on wages. This compares with HK$3. 3 billion a year resulting from a minimum wage of HK$28 an hour. †). The increase in labour cost might adversely affect the consumers si nce employers might choose to shift the price burden to consumers by increasing the price of goods and services. for consumers. Also, as a service-oriented economy, they think that this policy is not applicable in Hong Kong as service industries require more labor force and time. (can mention about the practicality of the implementation of standard working hours.How it might not be enforceable in certain industries with certain nature of work) Besides, the free and open economy in Hong Kong has long been attracting foreign investment. Multi-national corporations are attracted to set up their business in Hong Kong due to the free market and the non-regulated economy. With the implementation of standard working hours in addition to the statutory minimum wage, the higher labour cost and regulated economic environment might deter the inward investment of MNCs, potentially causing an increase in unemployment in Hong Kong.MNCs might choose to set up their business in other countries with relatively lower labour cost, less regulations and more incentives (tax-free). Suggestion to the implementation of this policy legislate standard working hours This policy should strike a balanced benefit between employers and employees. In order to strike non-paid overtime malpractice, it is inevitable to have standard working hours. Yet, the main concern is to set a moderate level of working hours to protect employers’ interest.Pro-democrats call for the level of 40-44 hours per week. Yet, from the survey by SCMP, the average working hours in Hong Kong is 47. 7 per week. So, setting 47-48 hours per week is fair to both sides. The government may consider having evaluation and judgment of optimal level each year for making it acceptable for both sides. Reference: http://hklawblog. com/2012/11/29/should-hong-kong-implement-standard-working-hours/

Xenophon and Aristophanes

In Greek society women had little control over their lives. A husband wanted to be able to control his wife so she would run his household as he saw fit, so she did not damage his reputation, and so he knew the paternity of his children. A husband wanted the girl to be closely controlled by her father before she married for the same reasons. Aristophanes’ comedies and Xenophon’s Oeconomicus contain very different depictions of a Greek citizen woman’s life before she is married and during the time shortly after she is married. Both the comedies and Oeconomicus examine how girls were educated, how closely guarded they were in their father’s household, and their willingness to deceive their husbands. In Oeconomicus, Xenophon wrote about the ideal girl, but she was exaggerated in the direction of perfection. In the comedies, however, some the female characters were almost the exact opposite of the girl in Oeconomicus. Even though ideas about how girls were raised and how they behaved after they were married are very different in Oeconomicus and in Aristophanes’ comedies, both sets of ideas get at a husband’s desire for his wife to have been closely controlled by her father, and then by him. Aristophanes and Xenophon illustrate this desire by presenting the ideal characteristics of a wife and the characteristics men fear. They also use exaggeration to make the distinction between the good wife and the undesirable wife even clearer. Because husbands wanted their wives to be controlled first by their fathers, and then by them, women spent their entire lives under the control of men. There was also a large difference between how closely guarded by her father Ischomachos’s wife was, compared to the girls in the comedies. Girls were not only guarded to keep them from learning too much, but they were also guarded to keep them away from men so they would not have sex with or be raped by them. Because if a girl was, and after marriage her husband found out, he would be unsure of the paternity of his children. Ischomachos’s wife â€Å"had previously lived under diligent supervision in order that she might see and hear as little as possible† (Oeconomicus, VII, 5). She obviously did not leave her house much if her family was making an attempt to have her see and hear as little as possible. Because she was supervised that closely, even if she did leave her house she wouldn’t have had a chance to get into trouble because there would be someone with her or watching her. In Women at the Thesmophoria, the Kinsman portrayed a female character who was obviously not guarded closely, â€Å"I had a boyfriend, who’d deflowered me when I was only seven† (Women at the Thesmophoria, 503). If a man was able to get to the Kinsman’s character when she was only seven she was not being watch closely. Calling the person who deflowered her, her boyfriend, implies that this was not a single instance of negligence on part of her guardian; it implies that she was not being watched closely enough to prevent her boyfriend from continuing to see her. Ischomachos’s wife reflects the ideal for Greek husbands. Because her father so closely controlled her, she would not have had an opportunity to do anything that would call the paternity of her future husband’s children into question. The Kinsman’s character is a depiction of a girl that shows men’s fears about how their wives might have been raised. She is completely out of the control of her father, so when she marries, her husband will have no idea if she is all ready pregnant. It is likely that how closely or loosely these characters were guarded is an exaggeration. Although Ischomachos’s wife probably was guarded as closely as possible, her incredible ignorance implies that she was guarded more closely then was achievable. The Kinsman’s character is probably also an exaggeration. Although there probably were some girls who were deflowered when they were very young, it seems unlikely that she would have had a boyfriend at the age of seven. The exaggeration only makes the ideal of a father’s control more clear. In Ischomachos’s wife’s extreme case there is almost no chance that she was pregnant with another man’s child when she married, but in the case of the Kinsman it would be surprising if she was not all ready pregnant. In order for a husband to be able to control his wife easily and so he would be able to teach her how he wanted her to run his household, girls were supposed to be kept as ignorant as possible before marriage. Ischomachos’s wife is an example of this ideal. He says that † [she] had previously lived under diligent supervision in order that she might see and hear as little as possible and ask the fewest questions as possible† (Oeconomicus, VII, 5). In Lysistrata an opposite view of the education of girls is presented. A chorus of women spoke about their experience in several different religious ceremonies and festivals. They use what they learned in the festivals to justify giving the polis advice. We want to start by offering the polis some good advice and rightly, for she raised me in splendid luxury. As soon as I turned seven I was an Arrephoros; then a Grinder; when I was then I shed my saffron robe for the Foundress at the Brauronia. And once, when I was a beautiful girl, I carried the Basket wearing a necklace of dried figs† (Lysistrata, 669). Because they use their experience in religious ceremonies as a qualification, they believe they have learned from these experiences. The contrast between Oeconomicus and Lysistrata is striking in that Ischomachos’s wife was kept home and an attempt was made to teach her as little as possible, while the girls in the chorus left home for extended periods of time and apparently learned from their experiences. The experience of both Ischomachos’s wife and the chorus girls is an exaggeration of what is possible in reality. Ischomachos seemed to think his wife did not know anything he did not teach her. When she made a mistake, such as when she cannot find something that Ischomachos asks for, he took full responsibility for it because if he had not taught it to her she could not be expected to know it. â€Å"But you are not at fault in this, rather I am, since I handed over these things to you without giving orders as to where each kind of thing should be put so that you would know where to put them and where to find them again† (Oeconomicus, VIII, 2). The list of religious festivals given by the chorus as evidence of their education contains service in five separate religious rites. This list of religious service is â€Å"the most prestigious any Athenian woman could boast† (Lysistrata 669, note 138). Some of the rites were only open to girls from the â€Å"noblest Athenian families† (Lysistrata 670, note 139). It seems unlikely that many girls, if any, would have had the experience that the girls in the chorus listed. So the experiences of girls in Lysistrata are exaggerated to make the girls appear more knowledgeable than they probably would be, and in Oeconomicus the girl is more ignorant than seems possible. The exaggeration illustrates why men wanted ignorant girls. Ischomachos’s wife is incredibly ignorant and is very easy to control. She does exactly what her husband tells her to do, once instructed. This contrasts with the women in Lysistrata who have an unusual amount of experience outside of their homes. The women’s experience, in part, contributed to their attempt to take over the polis. A wife who attempted to deceive her husband was very frightening for Greek men because men spent a great deal of their time away from home. When a husband was gone, his wife would have the opportunity to do things that would damage his reputation and call the paternity of his children into question. A husband could not really control his wife, if he could not trust that she was doing exactly what she said she was doing. In the Oeconomicus there is an example of a wife deceiving her husband that seems very benign. All Ischomachos’s wife did was put on makeup, but when he sees her with a painted face, he tells her that she should not wear makeup because it is a form of deception. Such deceits may in some way deceive outsiders and go undetected, but when those who are always together try to deceive one another they are necessarily found out† (Oeconomicus X, 8). It seems like he is not just lecturing her about putting on makeup, but also about other kinds of deception. Of course after Ischomachos’s lecture, â€Å"she never did anything of that sort again† (Oeconomicus X, 9). The Kinsman’s ch aracter not only lied to her husband only three days after they were married, but she lied so she could leave the house to have sex with her boyfriend (Women at the Thesmophoria, 504). Her actions could damage her husband’s reputation, and would call the paternity of his children into question. Her actions seem to be as bad as possible from the husband’s perspective. These actions are a demonstration of men’s fears about what their wives might do if they were willing and able to deceive their husbands. The Kinsmans’ actions are a stark contrast with Ischomachos’s wife, who after being corrected, never again deceived her husband. Because she was unwilling to deceive her husband, and therefore easy to control, she was an example of the perfect wife. Although Xenophon and Aristophanes were a part of the same society and wrote about Greek men’s desire for their wives to be closely controlled before and after marriage, they explored this desire in very different ways. Xenophon used it to write a text that gave men advice about what to look for in a perfect wife, and how to treat her after they were married. However, Aristophanes was writing comedies so he exaggerated undesired characteristics to create the worst possible wives for comic effect. When both Aristophanes and Xenophon’s works are examined to see how a father’s control over his daughter and the characteristics that make it easier for a husband to control his wife are portrayed, it becomes apparent that Aristophanes and Xenophon were writing about the same desire Greek men had for their wives to be controlled – first by their fathers and then by their husbands. This control was meant to ensure a properly run household, an intact reputation, and undisputed paternity. Because of this desire for control, when Greek women came of age, they passed from the control of their fathers to their husbands.

Breaking the Unspoken Gender Rule Essay

â€Å"I keep trying to integrate my life. I keep trying to make all of the pieces into one piece. As a result, my identity becomes my body which becomes my fashion, which becomes my writing style. Then I perform what I’ve written in an effort to integrate my life, and that becomes my identity, after a fashion, (Bornstein, 1994, p. 1). † For Theatrical Writer and Author Kate Bornstein, born Albert Herman, being a gender outlaw is about breaking the general gender rules and stereotypes. According to Bornstein and many other gender outlaws the current association of gender and sex is limiting in scope. Furthermore, gender in itself is a socially constructed ideology that fails to associate sexuality beyond the confines of anatomy. Bornstein gives the detailed account of her transformation from a man into a lesbian woman. In addition, Bornstein looks at the issues surrounding trying to establish oneself according to societal gender roles. She says that as a man she was continually looking to â€Å"integrate† herself into the norms but finally came to the conclusion that this was not possible. Bornstein is not alone. There are many transsexuals and gender outlaws that are living their lives in defiance of common gender related stereotypes. â€Å"It feels like everything should have been obvious when I look back. But everything was so confusing as I grew up. It’s like one day I was absent and everybody else was taught the crucial aspects of being a boy or girl. I would lie in bed at night practicing and rehearsing how to be a boy, (Wyndzen, 1998, p. 1). † Both Wyndzen and Bornstein describe the emotional aspects of trying to fit their transsexual bodies into a single sex social stereotype. From an outsiders point of view they both provide the context that could make gender outlaws more understandable for mainstream society. Yet, neither addresses what makes them different from the normal stereotype. Esseintially both claim to be classified in the wrong gender category based on their sexual genitalia. Both were born with the working parts of men but psychologically they identified with women. For gender boundary breakers such as Bornstein it has become a personal mission to show that gender in itself can not be classified simply as male or female. However, scholars such as David Geary claim that sexual stereotypes are accurate. â€Å"Gender stereotypes such as the belief that men never help out around the house and women gossip, are generally true, David Geary, a psychology professor at the University of Missouri concludes after reviewing more than 1,200 studies by psychologists, biologists and anthropologists, (Researcher Finds Gender Stereotypes to be Accurate, Part of Nature, 1998,  ¶ 1). According to Geary, stereotypes are rooted in nature and ways in which the species attract the opposite sex. â€Å"The sexual strategies men and women use in their drive to procreate cause many of the stereotypical sex differences in males and females, including physical attributes and development, play patterns, social behavior and development, parenting interests, motivational and emotional patterns, cognitive abilities, and brain structure and functions, (Researcher Finds Gender Stereotypes to be Accurate, Part of Nature, p. 5). † Yet, Geary does not define the gray area which includes people who have an innate feeling of being classified incorrectly. Can there be a gender classification for people born as males but who participate socially as females and vice-versa? In conclusion, there are many examples of the emotional devastation caused by inflexible gender classification. And although there is evidence that current gender stereotypes have roots in human instinct there is no classification or category for transsexuals who either identify with the opposite sex as a source of identity or who were born into an ambiguous state of sexuality. Currently there is no gender category for gender outlaws. References Bornstein, K. (1994). Gender Outlaw: On Men, Women and the Rest of Us. New York: Routledge. Researcher Finds Gender Stereotypes to be Accurate, Part of Nature. (1998). American Psychological Association, 29(19). Retrieved from www. apa. org Wyndzen, M. H. (1998). All Mixed Up. Retrieved April 28, 2009, from www. genderpsychology. org

Liberalization and Iraq Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

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Intellectual Autobiography Personal Statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

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What is a 'conceptual scheme' Do different people have different ones Essay

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The main ways to promote Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

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