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Taiwan 2002 |
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Social Welfare |
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WomenOver the last decade, women's roles have been re-defined as more Chinese women have received higher education, joined the work force, begun to compete with men, and become financially independent. In 2000, there were 10.88 million women in the Taiwan area, compared to a male population of 11.39 million. On average, first-time brides were 26.1 years old, up from 25.8 in 1990. Almost half of Taiwan's women are regular wage earners and help support their families.
Women's EducationIn ancient China, few women were taught to read and write. However, at the end of 2000, 45 percent of junior college graduates, 50 percent of university and college graduates, and 29 percent of graduate school graduates were women. Two decades earlier, the figures were 37.6, 36, and 16 percent, respectively. Women now have better educational opportunities, with female graduates from university, college and graduate school having increased by 50 percent in 20 years.
Women's Service NetworksIn the last 15 years, numerous women's organizations have been established to help women solve problems and clarify liberalized roles for both men and women. The government has adopted measures to protect women's welfare by setting up a "113" women's and children's protection hotline 一一三婦幼保護專線, Women's Rights Promotion Committee 婦女權益促進委員會 under the Executive Yuan, Sexual Violation Prevention Committee 性侵害防治委員會 and Domestic Violence Prevention Committee 家庭暴力防治委員會 under the MOI, and Women's Welfare Section 婦女福利科 under the MOI's Department of Social Affairs. City governments also allocate specific budget items for women services. Many local governments, under the supervision of the MOI, have organized regional coalitions to help women generate public awareness of gender issues, and provided medical, legal, psychological, educational, financial, and vocational assistance. With financial assistance from the MOI, a Foundation of Women Rights Promotion and Development 財團法人婦女權益促進發展基金會 was set up in 1998 to promote women's rights and interests. One of the main tasks of this foundation is to revise and research women-related laws and regulations for the reference of the government when making new laws. Since its establishment, this foundation has successfully served as a communication channel among women's welfare agencies in the government and the private sector.In 2000, the Taiwan area had 40 comprehensive welfare centers offering counseling, vocational training, seminars, and other services to disadvantaged women. Halfway houses and shelters for women numbered 26 that year, up 11 from 1994. With a maximum capacity of 518 persons, they accommodated 226 in 2000. On May 24, 2000, the government promulgated a Statute on Assisting the Families of Women in Difficult Circumstances 特殊境遇婦女家庭扶助條例. Financial assistance to these women includes emergency living allowances, medical stipends, and children's nursery school subsidies. Services are available at every level of the government to help women who need to file a lawsuit. In accordance with the statute, the Ministry of Education offers subsidies to senior high school children of the women who encounter difficult situations, and the Council of Labor Affairs also grants low-interest loans for these women to start their own businesses.
Female Employment AssistanceFrom January 2000 to May 2001, 2,628 women completed training courses at Taiwan's 13 vocational training centers as full-time students, and 7,263 as evening-class students. The government paid all school-related expenses for the full-time students and subsidized half the expenses for the evening-class students. During the same period, another 7,770 completed vocational programs organized by local county or city governments.
From January 2000 to May 2001, the Employment and Vocational Training Administration of the Council of Labor Affairs 行政院勞工委員會職業訓練局 provided job placement assistance to 77,893 women, 3,751 people over 45, 2,900 handicapped, 3,754 aborigines, and 75 people from low-income households.
DivorceDuring the 1980s, an increasing number of women in Taiwan began to earn their own paychecks. The experiences of women working outside the home have allowed them greater access to information and ideas about alternative lifestyles. Hence, their growing economic independence gives them more freedom to reject dysfunctional marriages. Data released by the Department of Population 戶政司 under the MOI indicate that the divorce rate in the Taiwan area has more than quadrupled in the last 25 years. The divorce rate was 2.38 couples per 1,000 people in 2000, compared to 0.37 in 1970, and 0.77 in 1980. However, the marriage rate showed only a slight overall increase, from 7.50 per 1,000 people in 1970 to 9.68 in 1980, and then back to 8.25 by 2000.The Warm Life Association for Women 晚晴婦女協會 has been working to eliminate discrimination against divorced women and promoting their equality under the law. Founded in Taipei in 1988, Warm Life now has branches in Taichung and Kaohsiung. The organization provides professional legal advice, psychological counseling, and telephone hotlines in Taipei, Taichung, and Kaohsiung with emergency counseling for women in dysfunctional marriages or divorce.
Rewriting the LawMany women's groups have lobbied lawmakers to change Book IV of the Civil Code 民法, which concerns family matters. This section of the Civil Code went into effect in May 1931 and was only partially revised in 1985. It covers divorce-related issues, such as child custody, child support and alimony, and the division of property.On September 6, 1996, several landmark revisions were made to Book IV by the Ministry of Justice 法務部. Article 1051, which automatically gave the father custody in the case of divorce by mutual consent, was struck from the books. Article 1055 was amended to stipulate that, when a court is ruling on a divorce, it must do so in the interest of any children involved, weigh all circumstances, and take into consideration all interview reports from social workers. Article 1089 was amended to give both parents equal priority in parental rights and obligations to minor children, and gave the court--rather than the father--final say in resolving disputes. This revision was crucial to filling in the legal void left after the Council of Grand Justices 大法官會議 ruled on September 23, 1994, that the original wording of Article 1089 giving fathers priority in the enforcement of parental rights violated the ROC Constitution. Changes were also made with regard to property rights. Prior to the 1985 revision of the Civil Code, any property registered under a married woman's name belonged to her husband. The 1985 revision gave the wife full rights over property registered under her name, but these rights were extended only to women who married after the revision came into effect. The September 6, 1996, amendments extended this right retroactively to all married women, regardless of marriage date. Since many social problems are generated by unhealthy families where unhappy married couples are kept together by the strict conditions required for getting a divorce, the Executive Yuan on November 7, 2001, passed the draft of several revisions in Book IV of the Civil Code. The revisions allow couples that do not live together for up to five years to file for a divorce, and grant the party mainly responsible for a broken marriage the right to apply for a divorce. According to current articles, only the party not at fault is allowed to plea for a divorce.
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