Women tend to take a backseat to their husband's job, with many likely to quit when both partners are working long hours, according to an American study.
An analysis of 8,484 professional workers and 17,648 non-professionals from dual-earner families show women, who work 50 hours or more a week, still do most of the housework and care for children.
If women have husbands who work 60 hours or more per week it increases the odds of quitting
a paid job by 42 per cent. Researcher Cha Youngjoo, of Cornell University, says the odds of quitting increase to 51 per cent for professional women. Professional women who are also mothers are more likely to quit their job by 112 per cent. On the other hand, professional men, regardless of whether they are parents, hardly experience any effects by having a wife who works long hours.
Authorities in a county in Guangxi have reshuffled officials at least 1,700 times in the past three years,
Between January 2007 and February this year, government leaders in Lingshan county appointed and dismissed officials 1,705 times.
A tax official obtained the documents from the county government and uploaded the information on the internet.
The heads of 18 bureaus had been changed during the three-year period. Some were transferred to other departments after less than a year on the job. Zhu Lijia, a professor from the National School of Administration, says there are typically 150 to 200 officials in a county, and the situation in Lingshan is rare.
The records over the past three years have been removed. Liu Baohua, deputy head of the county's organisation department, says the appointments are normal. "There are hundreds of units and officials. [One] official's adjustment will involve several [others]; 1,705 times is common," he says.
Vevion Hong Kong and its director were fined HK$19,500 for wage offences under the Employment Ordinance. The prosecution was launched by the Labour Department.
The company failed to pay wages of about HK$16,000 to an employee within seven days after the expiry of wage period and termination of employment, as required by the ordinance.
The director was convicted for his consent, connivance or neglect in the wage offences. According to the ordinance, wages due upon expiry of wage period or upon termination of employment shall be paid as soon as practicable, but not later than seven days thereafter. Any employer who fails to do so wilfully and without reasonable excuse is liable to a maximum fine of HK$350,000 and imprisonment. Employees who are owed wages should call the Labour Department's complaint hotline on 2815 2200.
