ABSTRACT
Taiwan is a typical patriarchal society that has experienced tremendous social changes in recent years. One of the consequent changes is in family values and practices (Tsai and Yi, 1997). Among family related issues, gender equality—particularly women’s domestic status—has aroused great attention. Numerous studies report the emerging egalitarian relationship at home, while at the same time an opposite argument points to the overwhelming normative effect which endows men with unquestionable dominance within the domestic sphere (Yi and Tsai, 1989; Yi and Yang, 1995; Lai, 1997; Lu and Yi, 1998; Tang, 1998). Objective indicators such as female labour force participation rates tend to show the increase in women’s social status over the years (Chien and Hsueh, 1996). With the prevalence of better educational background as well as the active involvement in the service sector and in industry, Taiwanese women have demonstrated their important contribution to the economic success of the country (Yi, 1993). However, social status is composed of public and private spheres. Whether women also enjoy similar opportunities and privileges as men at home or whether women have enhanced their roles and status in the family remain to be ascertained. It is clear that only when women achieve equal status at home can we observe real egalitarian relationship between the genders.
