Durkheim

Durkheim believed that natural order exists within a society so that society

has a consistent pattern of social trends and forms solidarity. Because Hong Kong operates on

a free capitalist economy, it becomes natural for the working class to rely on governmental

housing funds to afford to own public housing property. Division of labor exists because

specialized skills or specialized labor should be rewarded due to higher opportunity costs. For

example, a doctor should be rewarded better than a cleaner. Therefore, the working class were

born by default into the public housing system because it is the only affordable housing option.

By their socio­economic status and their inability attain specialized skills, the only financially

feasible option is, by default, public housing, should they wish to own their own property one

day. Therefore, public housing system offers the lower class segment a chance at property

ownership. The dismal living conditions and the social problems of some public housing estates,

therefore, cannot be seen as societal faults, but the result of inadequate maintenance and

loopholes that exists within the Hong Kong public housing system.