Lawmaker Starry Lee Wai-king shares her thoughts about balancing her political career with work and family life

Following her victory in the 2008 Kowloon West geographical constituency election, Starry Lee Wai-king began her four-year term as a Legislative Councillor, adding another load to her role of District Councillor.

Before she ventured into politics, Lee worked as an accountant for one of the Big Four international firms in Hong Kong.

Once she became a lawmaker, Lee soon realized that the work demands of the legislature and district services combined with her regular job significantly decreased the time she had left with her family. This nearly forced her to give up her professional career.

In an exclusive interview with China Daily, Lee said she had switched to another firm, taking up a less demanding training role than auditing that she specialized in.

The move, Lee said, is her attempt to strike a more ideal balance between her political career and family life.

"The ratio of my time engaged in public services to my profession is nine to one," she said, smiling. "Anyway, I have to fulfill my pledge since it was my own choice to enter politics and I made a commitment to the voters during the campaign," she added affirmatively.

Like many women striving to succeed as professionals while looking after their families, Lee finds that her efforts to maintain a balance between her political career and family life is an ongoing challenge.

Outside her busy schedule, she tries to spend Sundays with her family and, during the week, she does her best to keep her attendance at evening functions and dinners brief.

"I go home as early as possible to talk to my eight-year-old daughter Maggie, tell her stories before she goes to bed, and that is the most intimate time between us, but I don't have enough time to help her with school work," she said.

Lee is fully aware that it is exceedingly difficult for women to engage in politics without the support of their better halves and the understanding of their children.

She points out that traditional Chinese society expects women to assume more of a housewife role to take care of their families and children.

"Many husbands do not like their wives to enter politics because they always have to stand in the streets and work very irregular hours," Lee noted.

"It is a big price for young couples in their 30s with small children because it is the time when they need to work hard and climb up their career ladder."

Lee is very thankful for her husband, who fully supports her involvement in public services and takes care of their daughter when she is so busy.

Quite often, he takes Maggie to school and attends the teacher-parent activities, even though the family employs a Filipino domestic helper and her mother often comes to help.

"Sometimes he amuses me, like when he tells me that he is the only daddy present at the parent activities," Lee said, laughing.

Lee's husband works in the logistics trade and it is hard for him to leave office at 5 pm. Moreover, sometimes he is required to travel outside Hong Kong for business.

"I encountered a very difficult period when Maggie was only four years old, as my husband was on business duty in Shanghai," she recalled. "There were only two of us and I had for the first time the feeling of being a 'single parent.'"

Lee recently shared thoughts with fellow women legislators Miriam Lau and Regina Ip over supper.

"They are in a much better position than I am because their children are older and now studying at university," she said. "And other lawmakers, such as those who have their own businesses, they can focus on their businesses if they cease to be lawmakers,"

Lee is uncertain if she will remain a lawmaker for many years or will return to full time work in accountancy. She understands that a career in politics is unstable and the road ahead is not clear.

"Without keeping in touch with the updated professional and accounting practices, can I return to the profession easily after being a lawmaker for eight to 12 years?

"Again, we cannot treat politics as a lifelong career because we cannot always ensure we have support from the voters. So it is difficult to tell if I have any future plans. Since this is my own choice and I now have the people's support, I will continue to do my best to serve them and will not think about the future until it comes," she concluded.

China Daily

(HK Edition 03/12/2010 page4)