Women's Movements in Twentieth-Century Taiwan

by Doris Chang

This book is the first in English to consider women's movements and feminist discourses in twentieth-century Taiwan. Doris T. Chang examines the way in which Taiwanese women in the twentieth century selectively appropriated Western feminist theories to meet their needs in a modernizing Confucian culture. She illustrates the rise and fall of women's movements against the historical backdrop of the island's contested national identities, first vis-à-vis imperial Japan (1895-1945) and later with postwar China (1945-2000). In particular, during periods of soft authoritarianism in the Japanese colonial era and late twentieth century, autonomous women's movements emerged and operated within the political perimeters set by the authoritarian regimes. Women strove to replace the "Good Wife, Wise Mother" ideal with an individualist feminism that meshed social, political, and economic gender equity with the prevailing Confucian family ideology. However, during periods of hard authoritarianism from the 1930s to the 1960s, the autonomous movements collapsed. The particular brand of Taiwanese feminism developed from numerous outside influences, including interactions among an East Asian sociopolitical milieu, various strands of Western feminism, and even Marxist-Leninist women's liberation programs in Soviet Russia. Chinese communism appears not to have played a significant role, due to the Chinese Nationalists' restriction of communication with the mainland during their rule on post-World War II Taiwan. Notably, this study compares the perspectives of Madame Chiang Kai-shek, whose husband led as the president of the Republic of China on Taiwan from 1949 to 1975, and Hsiu-lien Annette Lu, Taiwan's vice president from 2000 to 2008. Delving into period sources such as the highly influential feminist monthly magazine Awakening as well as interviews with feminist leaders, Chang provides a comprehensive historical and cross-cultural analysis of the struggle for gender equality in Taiwan.

Genres: History, Feminism

248 pages, Hardcover

First published April 21, 2009

Reviews

[Peter A · Rating 4 out of 5]

This slim book provides a focused yet insightful perspective on the various women’s movements in Taiwan in the twentieth century. In telling this story, it sets these movements into the broader arena of political, social and economic forces in Taiwan, thus adds a richness to the history of Taiwan. The book is divided into five major periods: Japanese colonial rule; KMT policies on women and women’s organization in China and later Taiwan; the time and impact of Hsiu-lien Annette Lu (1970’s); the evolution to Lee Yuan-chen and the Awakening organization (1980’s and beyond); and the autonomous women’s movement after the lifting of martial law.

It is interesting to note both the constraints placed on how far women’s movements could articulate their goals, based on the dominant, contemporaneous forces, and within the movement how different goals were articulated, depending on the view of the group. For example, the author notes that Lu’s form of feminism tried to strike a balance between equality in the workplace and specific roles in the family life. The author conjectures that given the political realities of the time and the strong conservative Confucian nature of the decade, this was perhaps a far as the author could push the agenda.

It is also interesting to note that when martial law had been lifted, there was a flurry of activities and new groups, as well as new approaches to promote equality for women. One example is the use of lobbying of a democratically elected legislative body, and the development of draft legislation, that had not been tried before.

It is a testament to the women involved who continued to push forward over the century to fulfill a vision of equality and have it enshrined in laws (e.g., Gender Equity Education Act in 2004, and Gender Equality in Employment Bill of 2002) and hopefully practice. These epochs often built on the previous efforts.

FB: A focused and valuable contribution to understanding the women’s movements in Taiwan, set in the larger context and constraints of Taiwan’s political and social history.

[Ana Regina · Rating 5 out of 5]

very informative