You see just as many women as men negotiating their way through traffic during the morning rush-hour inTaipeiand other major cities inTaiwan. Women inTaiwanare commonly seen in the workforce in all professions and at all levels. It’s not unusual to see Taiwanese women in executive management roles in corporations. Taiwanese women are among the best educated and most highly motivated in their careers inAsia. Many graduate from universities and pursue fur the reducation abroad. Through higher education, opportunities become readily available to Taiwanese women, who often hold vital positions in some of the most vibrant companies in Taiwan; they are respected fairly and equally for their extraordinary accomplishments. Modern Taiwanese women work not only to earn an income but also because they simply want to be in the work force. They want to utilize the knowledge and skills they have learned; they desire to interact with professionals to advance their experience and worldview. Many of them feel the need to do much more than household chores and raise children as was once traditionally expected of a woman. Women on this island have higher status, more choices and better rights than women inJapan,Korea,Chinaor many other regions inAsia. With advanced education, financial independence and career opportunities, many Taiwanese women are deviating from the more traditional roles of a woman. They enjoy intellectual challenges and financial freedom. They control their own life and, as a result, it has become common to see more women remaining single, withdrawing from family life, or getting married later in life (you see many single professional women between the ages of thirty and forty, though many hope to be married someday). If they are married, many want either no children or maybe only one child. Neither are they afraid to seek divorce if in an unequal or unhappy marriage. What is your perspective on women of Taiwan? Are they strong? Submissive? Intelligent? Workaholics? What’s their status in the society? Let’s discuss women of different generations in Taiwan.
Traditional Women
A Chinese saying states that once a daughter has left home to be married,she is like water that is spilled and tossed out (嫁出去的女兒像潑出去的水, jia chuqu de nuer xiang bochuqu de shui). The water evaporates and can never be returned. Traditionally, when a woman is married her heart and soul belong to the husband and the husband’s family. She must learn quickly to be a part of her new family, and no longer a part of her original one. It has been ingrained in her mind that her duty is to bear male offspring, raise her children, take care of her husband’s parents and family, and do housework. She rarely returns to visit her own parents, for this is a sign that she is being treated well and having a good life. Should she return to her original home too frequently, it is assumed that she must have problems with her husband and family. Consequently, traditional women believe that ‘when marrying a chicken follow what a chicken does,when marrying a dog follow what a dog does‘ (嫁雞隨雞嫁狗隨狗, jia ji suiji, jia gou sui gou). If a husband sells noodles at a street stand, the wife joins him; if a husband owns a trading company, the wife learns to handle finances and make business deals. A traditional woman is responsible for managing a good family and maintaining the well-being of the family members while letting her husband make major decisions for the family. This conforms to another traditional saying: ‘Men are in charge of events outside while women take care of internal/domestic matters‘ (男主外女主內, nan zhu wai nu zhu nei). She suppresses her own will to ensure that everyone – the children, the husband, the in-laws and the extended family – is together and happy. These traditional women believe in fate and accept the life they become a part of.
Modern Women
The new generation of women are often talented individuals who have charted their own course. The new terminology used in Taiwanese society regarding the roles of today’s women and men are ‘strong women’(女強人, nu chiang ren) and ‘new generation good men’ (新好男人, xin hao nan ren).There are more and more ’strong women’ inTaiwan. They have strong personalities, want to succeed and are not limiting themselves in what they can achieve in their career. They are aggressive, talented, ambitious and autonomous; they set goals in life and live up to their potential. They have learned to fight for their rights and pursue their own desire for success. In marriage, women nowadays are looking for ‘new generation good men,’ that is, someone who is not chauvinistic, who holds a well paid job, can support his wife in her ambitions, and at the same time is willing to help out with household chores and share the duty of looking after the children. Modern women are not only looking for better opportunities and advancement at work, they also desire shared responsibilities at home and equality in marriage.This new attitude is to have an equal relationship in which spouses support each other. If both husband and wife work full-time, household chores should be shared or helpers hired to do house work.
New generation Women
New generation women are also known as ‘5th graders’ (五年級生, wu nianji sheng) or ‘6th graders’(六年級生, liu nianji sheng) which means they were born between the ROC years of 50 and 59 (1961-1970) or 60 and 69 (1971-1980). These ‘5th and 6th graders’ were born and raised during the period whenTaiwan was becoming stable both politically and economically. The count ry was growing and developing, families were becoming more affluent and having fewer children, education for both boys and girls was valued and the English language considered an important subject in school. They became comfortable with using computers and the Internet during their university years. They have been taught to think independently, to be self-sufficient and self-confident. They often carry the similar traits of being tough and ambitious in the job market as they feel no one will sympathize with a female in the work place; they need to work harder than men to prove themselves. For ‘5th graders’ in particular, even successful career women, it is hard to completely ignore the social pressure to retain traditional roles and values. When they tie the knot, they take on more of the family responsibility and chores at home than their husband. A close ‘5th grader’ friend Katy expressed, “I do laundry and kitchen chores at midnight while my husband and daughter are sound asleep.”
The Strawberry generation
The next group is the ‘7th graders’, born between the years of 70 and 79 in the ROC calendar (1981-1990). This generation is often heavily pampered by their parents. They are often either an only child or one of two in the family. They grew up with computers and the Internet. Compared to previous generations, they often pursue not only freedom but also pleasure; they may live in the present moment and never worry too much about future consequences; they may spend more money than they make and deal with situations as they come. As a result, they are not good at coping under pressure and are often called the ‘Strawberry Generation’ (草莓族, caomei zu), a name that covers both men and women of this age. Members of the Strawberry Generation often lack tolerance, problem-solving skills, enthusiasm for work and sense of responsibility. In the workspace, they may express themselves openly, and are not afraid of authority. The new generation of Taiwanese women’s changing view son traditional gender roles and marriage has impacted the dynamics of family life in modern Taiwanese society. According to a report from the Ministry of the Interior, almost one out of four marriages in 2007 involved a female immigrant spouse,typically from China or Southeast Asia. This implies that Taiwanese men who are not willing to give up their traditional way of thinking are finding it harder to marry a local Taiwanese woman who is willing to create a traditional family together. Furthermore, the divorce rate also continues to rise phenomenally in Taiwan as women now are speaking up and stepping out of unhappy marriages. As a result, the number of children living with a single parent is also rising tremendously. In addition, as women are becoming economically independent, they are also the big spenders on luxury goods and particularly in real estate. Many new housing projects are featuring smaller luxury units to specifically meet the needs of women buyers. These properties include 24-hour security systems, elegant interior decor and well-equipped public facilities like a fitness gym and spa. Owning property for women in Taiwan denotes stability and security. It is a way to express their self-sufficiency, achievement and high standard of living. Though social pressure and some traditional women’s roles still exist in today’s society, women in Taiwan certainly have come a long way towards being well respected in the workforce. Gender equality has no doubt taken root in Taiwanese society both professionally and at home. Women, regardless of whether they are single or married, traditional or a ‘strong woman‘, are playing influential roles in the job market and are enjoying new-found rights and opportunities in Taiwanese society.
http://nccuinternational.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/women_in_taiwan_nov2011.pdf
