Challenging Marriage: the Single Women Who Resist Marriage in Taiwan

• Main Authors: Hsiu-Chuan Tsai, 蔡绣娟
• Other Authors: Mei-Hua Chen
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/13805963596793320782

碩士 === 高雄醫學大學 === 性別研究所碩士班 === 93 === Abstract The purpose of this study is to explore how the single women construct themselves in the arrangement of married gender politics, and to redefine the single status under the heterosexual patriarchy. Although the single women have not entered into marriage, through the interactions with the original family and their friends’ marriage experiences, they are aware of the numerous disadvantages and oppression in heterosexual marriage (see chapter 2). The single young women are repeatedly warned and intimidated that once they hesitate about getting married, they will become “spinsters” since the main society dare not and can not face the collapse of marriage system. Furthermore, the culture discriminates and condemns the single women who resist marriage, presumes and labels them the “rebels” against marriage, and represses them in various ways, with the result that the stigma of single women comes into existence (see chapter 3). Confronting the romantic love and heterosexual marriage glorified and celebrated by main society, the senior single women who distorted as nobody wants to marry and loves have unique logic in thinking love, sexuality and intimate relationship essentially (see chapter 4). The single women who don’t take marriage as the only destination give meaning to their lives and have their own opinions and practice about “family” (see chapter 5). The subject position that single women hold is of gender inferiority in the first place, libeled as secondary, subordinate, and obedient others, along with the multiple others of marginalized “singles”. Then society and media impose the identities of single transition, single noble, single public nuisance, and the other woman on the single women. But the subject position that the single women construct by themselves is absent. In this study, 19 single women ages 35-75 were interviewed and the findings are as follows: (a) Women who resist marriage challenge and weaken the norm and dominance imposed by compulsory heterosexual marriage system. Whether the interviewees resist marriage firmly or have aspired to marriage, or refuse the opportunity of marriage when it comes, all of them understand what they want, and clearly know that they won’t follow the destiny of traditional women. The single women who persist to break through the marriage stereotype manifest they are likely to pursuit and identify their own ways. (b) The single women oppose themselves to stigmatization as the strategies for defending heterosexual marriage as well as consolidating patriarchy. Facing the stigma from the kin and social conservatives, the interviewees use tactics to get rid of biases that come in succession. Those “spinsters” regarded as “abnormal” are actually healthy, optimistic, introspective, respectful, considerate, child-adoring, and independent women. (c) The interviewees have an insight into love, which is a product neither romantic nor realistic. It reproduces gender inequality and the heterosexual marriage system profits by that. In the atmosphere of heterosexuality, women can only be men’s girl friends, lovers, but cannot be friends. This not only narrows interpersonal relationship, but also enhances the characteristics of both sexes, and even reproduces gender inequality. Love is the prelude of marriage trade. The single women understand thoroughly that romantic love is the main agent to attain the terminal purpose of marriage. (d) The single women have diversified imagination and practice about “family”. Women who resist marriage refute the traditional ideas of “destination” or inherent “family” consciousness. They practice a lifestyle that is of no marriage, no family but full of meaning. While the single women banish the marriage system, on one hand, they challenge the hegemony of marriage, and on the other hand, they pursue self-identified destination but not preordained destination of marriage. key words: single, marriage resistance, stigma, compulsory heterosexual marriage