Introduction

Topic:Gender Inequality in Taiwan: Situation, Causes and Suggestions.

Gender inequalities exist in most countries in the world such as Morocco, Uzbekistan, the United States, and Taiwan…etc, but the concerned issues can be different in diverse places (Sen, 2001). In Taiwan, the women’s movement had begun since 1960s, but it was not until the case of Deng in 1993 which alerted the public to the seriousness of gender inequalities, and to pay attention to women’s rights. Then numerous studies on gender inequalities in the context of domesticity and professions have been conducted through investigating and observing social phenomena (Chao, 2005; Dung, 1995; Marsh, 1998; Tsui, 1987; Yu, 2002). The gender inequalities in the family contained six aspects: unfair allocation of domestic labor, children-care labor, and property; in the professions, there were problems of unequal threshold, absurd regulations, and promotion and salary increase.

Through the efforts of previous researchers and reforms of the government and society, the circumstances of domestic and professional inequity between genders in Taiwan have developed and progressed. However, the situation of gender inequalities is always in flux as time passed, and very little complete investigation of the present condition is analyzed. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to survey the gender inequalities which have been investigated before, and find out the situation of gender inequalities today. This paper examined the six fundamental factors of gender inequalities in the domesticity and professions respectively, and concluded that gender inequalities of these six aspects still can be improved. The paper suggests that further establishment of law relating to genders and the cosmos of government help are demanded.

Paraphrase

1 Sen, Amartya. (2001) The Many Faces Of Gender Inequality. New Republic, 225(12), 35-41.
Ø "Gender inequality exists in most parts of the world, from Japan to Morocco, from Uzbekistan to the United States. Yet inequality between women and men is not everywhere the same. It can take many different forms. Gender inequality is not one homogeneous phenomenon, but a collection of disparate and inter-linked problems." (Sen,2001,Paragraph2)

Ø From Sen's (2001) book, The Many Faces Of Gender Inequality, Amartya Sen points out that gender inequalities can occur in any places in the world such as Morocco, Uzbekistan, the United States......etc. He believes the types of gender problems are different.

2Tsui, Yi-Lan (Elaine). (1987) Are Married Daughters "Spilled Water"?-A Study of Working Women in Urban Taiwan. Taipei, Taiwan: National Taiwan University.
Ø "Traditionally, Chinese women in general are subordinate to men. Women's activities were restricted to their homes, while men involved themselves in the world beyond the domestic sphere. Women were praised for being obedient, timid, and reserved rather than being assertive and independent. Education has always been highly praised in Chinese society. Chinese parents, however usually consider educating daughters beyond the needs of household management unnecessary and even harmful." (Lang, 1946:47,212)

Ø Chinese traditional concept of female is subordinate to men, so daughters are encouraged to do the domestic work instead of studying as their brothers do. Tsui thinks that it is because a daughter is lost when she marries to another family after marriage. Therefore, parents give less finance and education to their daughters. (Lang, 212)

3.Wang, Alice. (1998) Taiwan and social liberalism: Doomed marriage or match made in heaven? Washington Quarterly, 21, 13-17.
Ø "Yet social reforms lag behind, especially in the area of gender equity. Until the 1985 revision of the Book of Family in the Civil Code, women had no rights to matrimonial property and were essentially unable to file for divorce. Even the 1985 revision did not apply retroactively and left a "patrilocal residence" clause to close off the divorce option for women abandoned by their husbands. Until 1994 Taiwanese divorce laws practically required judges to award child custody to fathers. Even now, proving spousal abuse requires a woman to present certificates from a hospital demonstrating that she has been injured by her husband at least three times within the past three months."

Ø In her article, Taiwan and Social Liberalism: Doomed Marriage or Match Made In Heaven?, Alice wang examines the development of gender equality. She points out that before 1985, women could not arrange their earning, and can not apply for divorce. She indicates that although the Book of Family in the Civil Code in 1985 improved, women still could not ask for divorce legally and the residence of divorced women was registered under their ex-husband. Besides, the child custody always belonged to fathers after divorce. She argued that even in 1998 an abused woman had to been maltreated three times and showed the document from the hospital in order to file divorce.

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