Rethinking the residual policy response: Lessons from Hong Kong older women's responses to the COVID-19 pandemic

Sam Wai Kam Yu; Iris Po Yee Lo; Ruby Chui Man Chau

doi:10.1177/00208728211036179

Rethinking the residual policy response: Lessons from Hong Kong older women's responses to the COVID-19 pandemic

Int Soc Work. 2023 Mar;66(2):534-546. doi: 10.1177/00208728211036179. Epub 2021 Sep 28.

Authors

Sam Wai Kam Yu¹, Iris Po Yee Lo², Ruby Chui Man Chau³

Affiliations

¹ Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong.
² The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong.
³ The University of Nottingham, UK.

Abstract

This article examines older women's experiences of searching for face masks and handling mask-related issues during COVID-19. Set within the context of the Hong Kong government's policy reaction to the shortage of masks in early 2020, the article draws on interviews with 40 older women in Hong Kong to identify their various forms of vulnerability to welfare threats and their active and diverse responses in times of crisis. The findings reveal the implications of the government's residual policy response for people's vulnerability to welfare threats. They also carry practical implications for the support that social workers can provide.

Keywords: COVID-19; face masks; pandemic; social exclusion; social work; welfare residualism.