Women in the ROC Today

With changes in society so also has the role of women undergone significant transformation whether by their growing participation in the work-force or by the changing attitudes of the younger generation toward marriage and self-development.

Some 45 percent of all women currently work outside the home, and as their participation in the work-force rises so also are women striving for more rational rights and compensation in the workplace. The traditional view that daughters and women are not as valuable or able as men has also largely been discarded, and today women in the ROC receive the same opportunity for higher education as do men.

The biggest strides made by women have perhaps occurred in the marriage relationship. In the past, married women had relatively few legal rights. But due to the continued diligence of women and women's organization, the unequal articles of the Civil Code regarding matrimony have been revised to adequately protect married women. The property rights of women after marriage were also limited in the past with legal consideration given first to the husband. This inequality was also corrected by legal amendments made in 1986 so that spouses may jointly negotiate property rights and choose a system equitable to both sides.

Finding an ideal balance between the sexes is a goal the ROC should must devote its energies to so that women in Taiwan will be insured the room they need to develop and realize their true potential.