Women in Taiwan

Women Coalition of Hong Kong at Taiwan Pride 2005

Women in Taiwan is a reference to Taiwanese women and their legal, social, workplace, and cultural status in Taiwan. Their status as women in Taiwan has been based on and affected by the "traditional patriarchal views and social structure" within Taiwanese society.[1]

Legal status

Despite of the ongoing prosperity in the Taiwan's economy and occurring democratic reforms, women of Taiwan still have to struggle against discrimination in several laws. Thus they still have to claim equal rights with Taiwanese men.[2]

The 1930 Taiwanese Civil Codes provides limited rights to Taiwanese women, such as having no right in deciding their residence, the lack of right to own property, the lack of right to file a divorce, the lack of self-protection, and the lack of right to child custody.[3] In the present-day Taiwanese legal system, the laws relating to Taiwanese women's rights can be found in the Constitution of the Republic of China, the Family Law of the ROC Civil Code, the Standards for Labor Work, Industry Law, Employee Service Act, and other related regulations for protecting gender equality in the Republic of China (Taiwan).

However, since 1998, there is still a continuation of the influence of patriarchal ideology with regards to family matters. The male still has superiority in decisions related to the wife's residence, the children's use of the father's surname, disciplinary measures for their offsprings, and managing property. This is despite the modification in Family Law of the ROC Civil Law made in 1985 and in 1996.[1]

There are also other laws limiting the rights of Taiwanese women in filing divorce, which cannot be granted without the husband's consent. However, this is also the case vice versa: a husband cannot easily divorce without the wife's consent.[2]

See also

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 The Report on Women's Status in Taiwan, taiwan.yam.org.tw
  2. 2.0 2.1 Taiwanese Women Speak Out for Rights, Notes, Taiwan Communiqué No. 65, April 1995, taiwandc.org
  3. Taiwanese Women's Rights - Call for HELP, From the Awakening Foundation in Taipei, Taiwan, hartford-hwp.com, March 15, 1995

External links

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