Chopping vegetables on the floor, setting up a makeshift kitchen in the bathroom and enduring water leaks during typhoons – these are some of the daily struggles for residents in Hong Kong’s subdivided flats.
According to NGO Social Work Dream, women bear the brunt of these hardships. Since they are traditionally expected to be the primary carer in a household, they usually spend the most time at home.
Single mother Lam* handwashes clothes because her 120 sq ft home cannot fit a washing machine.
“After placing a basin in the bathroom, there’s barely any space to move. Squatting for long periods leaves my lower back aching and my legs numb,” she shared.
Having waited seven years for public housing, the mother, who is in her 40s, dreams of a home with separate bedrooms for her and her seven-year-old son.
Children’s drawings show life in Hong Kong subdivided flats: homework, meals on the toilet
Since her current subdivided unit has no room for a wardrobe, she sleeps between her clothes and her son. The lack of kitchen space has also forced Lam to give up her hobby of making steamed buns and noodles.
“That’s why so many people end up depressed ... Life is always about calculating costs and making decisions based on money,” she said.
“When you want to do something but are faced with so many limitations, you slowly give up. There’s no choice.”
Another woman, Fong*, uses a wooden board to cook meals in the bathroom of the subdivided flat she shares with her husband. After the food is done, she dismantles her makeshift kitchen, so they can use the shower.
Fong said she felt suffocated by the clutter in her home and often wanted to escape.
“Having a warm and comforting home is the dream of most women, including me. After getting married and living in this subdivided flat, my dream has been shattered,” she shared.
“Sometimes, I really lose the motivation to cook, and we end up eating out. To make up for it, my husband has to work overtime ... We sacrifice the time to be with each other,” she said. “As a woman and a wife, I long for a real home.”
Picture the impact of subdivided flats
For a photo exhibition last month, Social Work Dream invited 32 women living in Hong Kong’s notorious subdivided flats to share glimpses of their lives. Held in Sham Shui Po, the event highlighted how these cramped spaces took a toll on women’s physical and mental well-being.
These women wrote explanations of how their living situation led to strained relationships with their spouses. They were also constantly worried about accidents at home, especially with children.
One participant described her experience climbing to the top of a bunk bed every night while she was seven months pregnant. She felt unsafe while hanging clothes outside the window, as a third of her body leaned out.
Lam Kin-lung, a project leader at Social Work Dream, explained that the event highlighted how women were disproportionately affected by the cramped conditions of subdivided flats, as they are typically home more often than other household members.
“Many women often tie their self-worth to the well-being of their families, but the environment in subdivided flats makes it difficult for them,” he said. The registered social worker added that strained marital relationships and a lack of building security put further stress on these women.
“We want to bring attention to each individual’s needs ... so that people can understand, with greater empathy, what these women truly need,” he said.
Alan Din Wai-bun, a lecturer from the Chinese University of Hong Kong’s department of social work, explained how living in subdivided flats worsened the mental health conditions of residents.
A mother featured in the exhibition lived in a unit with poor soundproofing, making it difficult for her son to sleep. When she asked her neighbours to be more quiet, she was met with verbal abuse, which triggered her anxiety.
Din said: “Many flats lack windows, depriving residents of sunlight and fresh air, which worsens symptoms for those with depression.”
Hong Kong set to open ‘community living room’ for residents of subdivided flats before year’s end
What is the government doing to improve housing?
Concerns about subdivided flats have resurfaced as the city prepares for Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu’s policy address on October 16. Lawmakers and social workers are calling for the government to introduce stricter regulations to address the issue of low-quality housing.
Last year, Lee announced the formation of a task force aimed at establishing minimum standards for subdivided flats and proposing measures to eliminate them.
Chan Kim-ching – founder of Liber Research Community, a local NGO focused on land and development research – said that Hong Kong should not focus only on large-scale development but also consider residents’ basic housing rights.
He noted that the government had long neglected the issue of subdivided flats, and recent moves to establish light public housing and more transitional housing still failed to provide enough personal space for residents.
For Social Work Dream, Lam said the group’s main goal was to speed up the construction of affordable homes: “We want to highlight the urgent need for public housing ... showing how this could impact the entire family.”
* Full name withheld at interviewee’s request.
