Women's Family Status: A Comparison of the Family Power Structure in Taiwan and China

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. It is meaningful to compare women's family status in Taiwan and Tianjin to delineate the structural, cultural, and personal resources which account for differences in labour force participation. From recent survey reports on families in Shanghai and Tianjin, it can be seen that family structure in China is similar to Taiwan's, especially the proportion of nuclear family and stem family. The Conflict Management Pattern In the process of making the most important familial decision, there is a possibility that different opinions may arise between partners. The chapter examines women's domestic status, with emphases on the effect of their employment patterns and other possible resource factors among couples in two Chinese societies.