Academic Staff
LO, Iris P. Y. 勞保儀
Associate Professor
PhD, The University of Oxford
Research Interests:
Gender and sexuality; family sociology; work-family reconciliation; health; social policy
Prof. Iris Lo is Associate Professor in Sociology, specializing in gender and sexuality, family sociology, work-family reconciliation, health, and social policy. Her research agenda has evolved around three major directions: (1) the intersection of gender and sexuality in shaping family lives and the ways individuals experience their social worlds; (2) how work and family lives are changing in societies; and (3) the role of social policy and culture in shaping work-family reconciliation and well-being. She has been awarded external competitive grants to conduct research on these areas that are of high relevance to diverse communities, health and business professionals, and policymakers. Her work has been published in top journals, including Sociology, British Journal of Sociology, Sociological Review, Journal of Sociology, and Social Policy and Society. She serves on the Editorial Boards of Work, Employment and Society and The International Journal of Qualitative Methods. With a strong commitment to knowledge exchange, Prof. Lo has been invited to share her research with corporations, NGOs, and the United Nations, bridging research, policy, and community engagement.
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
Course(s) Taught:
| SOCI 4026 | Gender and Social Change in Contemporary Societies |
| SOCI 4016 | Globalization |
| From Jan-2026 to Dec-2028 | “From silenced violence to help-seeking: LGBTQ+ people’s lived experiences of intimate partner violence”. Funded by Research Grants Council, General Research Fund (GRF). As Principal Investigator (PI). |
| From Jan-2025 to Jun-2027 | “Does sexuality matter at work? A narrative enquiry into the negotiations between vocational identity and sexual identity among young LGB adults”. Funded by Research Grants Council, General Research Fund (GRF). As PI. |
| From Jan-2024 to Dec-2026 | “From unspoken secrets to family dialogues: The negotiations of family expectations and intergenerational intimacy between Chinese parents and their adult LGB children”. Funded by Research Grants Council, Early Career Scheme (ECS). As PI. |
| From Jan-2024 to Jul-2025 | “Tomorrow digital healthcare in Metaverse: Developing AI-powered personalized remote health monitoring and therapy platform”. Funded by Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Department of Rehabilitation Sciences Funding Scheme. As Co-I (Co-Investigator). |
| From Feb-2022 to Feb-2023 | “Empowering through learning – Parent-child language programme for junior non-Chinese speaking students (A mixed-method study)”. Funded by Oxfam External Competitive Grant. As PI. |
(For complete list of publications, please view Staff CV.)
Selected Journal Articles
Lo, I. P. Y. (2025). Queer bonds at work: A dialectical approach to understanding workplace relations among sexual minority employees in Hong Kong. Work, Employment and Society. (Scopus Top 10%, Q1) https://doi.org/10.1177/09500170251343278
Lo, I. P. Y.*, Kim, Y. K., Liu, E. H., & Yan, E. (2025). Typologies of minority stressors and depressive symptoms among LGBTQ people in the workplace: A moderated mediation model of workplace climate and resilience. Sexuality Research and Social Policy 22, 1043–1057. (Top 10%, Q1) https://doi.org/10.1007/s13178-024-01027-x
*corresponding author
Lo, I. P. Y. (2024). Visual methods in family and sexuality research: Picturing the everyday, the imaginary, and the void. Qualitative Research, 24(3), 548-569. (Top 2%, Q1) https://doi.org/10.1177/14687941231165892
Lo, I. P. Y. (2024). The interplay between intimacy and commodification: Queer agency and vulnerability amid neoliberalism with Chinese characteristics. The Sociological Review, 72(1), 118–136. (Top 10%, Q1)
https://doi.org/10.1177/00380261231151771
Lo, I. P. Y.*, Yu, S. W. K., Ho, G., Ng, I., & Lee, S. M. (2024). The cross-regional impact of Taiwan’s same-sex marriage legalisation: The queer economy of welfare mix. Social Policy and Society, 23(2), 477–492. (Top 10%, Q1) https://doi.org/10.1017/S1474746424000083
Lo, I. P. Y.*, Liu, E. H., Lai, D. W. L., & Yan, E. (2024). Intimate networks of care: Perceptions of intergenerational family care and experiences of ageing among Chinese midlife and older lesbians and gay men. Sociology of Health and Illness, 46(4), 762–779. (Q1) https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9566.13739
Yan, E., Lo, I. P. Y., Sun, R., Chan, A. S. W., Ng, H. K. L., & Wu, A. (2024). Intimate partner violence among lesbian, gay, and bisexual adults: A cross-sectional survey in Hong Kong. LGBT Health, 11(8), 645–650. (Top 10%, Q1) https://doi.org/10.1089/lgbt.2023.0294
Lo, I. P. Y. (2023). Dialectical family imaginaries: Navigating relational selfhood and becoming a parent through assisted reproduction in China. Sociology, 57(3), 642–658. (Top 10%, Q1) https://doi.org/10.1177/00380385221113480
Lo, I. P. Y., Liu, E. H., Lai, D. W. L., & Yan, E. (2023). Reflexive planning for later life: Minority stress and aging challenges among midlife Chinese lesbians and gay men. Journal of Homosexuality, 70(14), 3470–3492. (Top 10%, Q1) https://doi.org/10.1080/00918369.2022.2095242
Yu, S. W. K., Lo, I. P. Y.*, & Chau, R. C. M. (2023). Rethinking the residual policy response: Lessons from Hong Kong older women’s responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. International Social Work, 66(2), 534–546. (Q1) https://doi.org/10.1177/00208728211036179
Yu, S. W. K., Chau, R. C. M., & Lo, I. P. Y. (2023). Developing a ‘defamilisation framework’ to examine the strategies for promoting the adult worker model and women’s welfare in eight European countries. International Social Work, 67(2), 321–333. (Q1) https://doi.org/10.1177/00208728231165638
Lo, I. P. Y. (2022). (Dis)Engagement with queer counterpublics: Exploring intimate and family lives in online and offline spaces in China. British Journal of Sociology, 73(1), 139-153. (Top 10%, Q1) https://doi.org/10.1111/1468-4446.12913
Yu, S. W. K., Lo, I. P. Y., & Chau, R. C. M. (2021). Government strategies for supporting the adult worker model in European countries: Mixed implications for defamilisation. International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy, 41(9/10), 979-992. (Q1) https://doi.org/10.1108/IJSSP-04-2020-0135
Lo, I. P. Y. (2020). Family formation among lalas (lesbians) in urban China: Strategies for forming families and navigating relationships with families of origin. Journal of Sociology, 56(4), 629-645. (Q1) https://doi.org/10.1177/1440783320912828
Lo, I. P. Y., Kim, Y. K., Small, E., & Chan, C. H. Y. (2019). The gendered self of Chinese lesbians: Self-esteem as a mediator between gender roles and depression. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 48(5), 1543-1554. (Q1) https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-019-1402-0
PhD Supervision
Prof. Lo is recruiting doctoral students who are researching gender and sexuality, family, work-family reconciliation, health, and social policy. Applicants are encouraged to contact her via email and share their CV and research proposal.