Social Change and the Family in Taiwan

by Thornton, Arland; Lin, Hui-Sheng

• ISBN13: 9780226798585
• ISBN10: 0226798585
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1995-02-15
• Publisher: Univ of Chicago Pr

Summary

Until the 1940s, social life in Taiwan was generally organized through the familymarriages were arranged by parents, for example, and senior males held authority. In the following years, as Taiwan evolved rapidly from an agrarian to an industrialized society, individual decisions became less dependent on the family and more influenced by outside forces.Social Change and the Family in Taiwanprovides an in-depth analysis of the complex changes in family relations in a society undergoing revolutionary social and economic transformation.This interdisciplinary study explores the patterns and causes of change in education, work, income, leisure time, marriage, living arrangements, and interactions among extended kin. Theoretical chapters enunciate a theory of family and social change centered on the life course and modes of social organization. Other chapters look at the shift from arranged marriages toward love matches, as well as changes in dating practices, premarital sex, fertility, and divorce.Contributions to the book are made by Jui-Shan Chang, Ming-Cheng Chang, Deborah S. Freedman, Ronald Freedman, Thomas E. Fricke, Albert Hermalin, Mei-Lin Lee, Paul K. C. Liu, Hui-Sheng Lin, Te-Hsiung Sun, Arland Thornton, Maxine Weinstein, and Li-Shou Yang.

Table of Contents

Preface

Introduction

Historical and Ethnographical Perspectives on the Chinese Family

The Social and Economic Transformation of Taiwan

Theoretical Mechanisms of Family Change

The Changing Organization of Individual Activities

From Arranged Marriage toward Love Match

Determinants of Historical Changes in Marital Arrangements, Dating, and Premarital Sexual Intimacy and Pregnancy

Trends in the Timing and Prevalence of Marriage

Determinants of Historical Changes in Marital Timing

Trends in Marital Dissolution

The Fertility Transition in Taiwan

Co-Residence and Other Ties Linking Couples and Their Parents

Determinants of Co-Residence in Extended Households

Weakening the Linkage between the Ancestors, the Living, and Future Generations

Continuity and Change

Sources of Data

Truncation Bias

References

List of Contributors

Index

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