Chapter 3: Father Involvement in Students’ Education in Taiwan

In recent decades Taiwan’s dynamic socioeconomic growth and political transformation have brought changes to a number of traditions, including gender equality and gender roles (Beckert, Strom, Strom, & Yang, 2006).¹ Along with these new developments related to gender roles, a small but growing body of research on parent involvement has begun to focus on the role and participation of fathers in contemporary Taiwanese society (Chern, 2005; Chiang, Huang, & Lin, 2005; Ho, Chen, Tran, & Ko, 2010; Hsu, Zhang, Kwok, Li, & Ju, 2010; Huang & Wang, 2007).

Traditionally, the childcare and household responsibilities fell solely upon the mother; however, with more women currently entering the workforce, it is becoming more difficult for women to fulfill the role of full-time motherhood (F. L. Chen, Yang, & Wang, 2010). Consequently, many women are choosing to delay marriage and parenthood. In their study, Chen and colleagues (2010) found: more women (than men) to advocate the sharing of housework in dual-income households; younger generations to be less supportive of marriage and more open to divorce; and younger generations to prefer fewer children. The authors pointed to the increasing number of women in the workforce and lack of government support for childcare as likely sources of such findings. According to a report by the Directorate General of Budget, Accounting, and Statistics, (DGBAS, 2011), as of 2009, the percentage of women as economic household heads (i.e., person with the largest income in the household and main provider) since 1999 had increased by 8% across all income groups, suggesting women in Taiwan are becoming more financially independent. The gender gap in the labor participation rate has steadily decreased in the last several decades and the female share in employment increased from 38% in 1989 to 44% in 2009 (DGBAS, 2011). In addition, the birthrate in Taiwan has dropped by about 37% since 2000 and the fertility rate as of 2010 was 1.1, among the lowest in the world. The decrease in the number of children may in part be a result of women’s higher educational attainment, meaning a delay in marriage and therefore, childbearing (DGBAS, 2011). While policies are varied across provinces/cities, the government is taking a number of measures to increase the birthrate. For example, since January 1, 2011, Taipei City Government’s Department of Health has implemented a “Wish You a Good Pregnancy” project, such that free prepregnancy health examinations are provided for married couples. Furthermore, every couple with a newborn will receive NT$20,000,² and parents with a child younger than 5 years old will receive a NT$2,500 child-rearing subsidy per month (Department of Health, 2011). Kindergarten fees (NT$12,543) are waived for 5-year-olds (http://born.igd.tw/policy.php). In addition, more public day care centers are being established, and the Ministry of Education is attempting to help with the cost of education (K. Liu, 2011). Economic and sociocultural changes in Taiwan have also led to changes in family structure, with a growing number of nuclear households accompanied by declining multi-generational households. Currently, while many grandparents do not live in the same household with their grandchildren, grandparents still play important roles in their grandchildren’s lives, including picking them up from school, staying with them when their parents are away, and assisting with their educational costs. With an increasing number of dual-income and nuclear families, the traditional views held by fathers and mothers toward parenting roles are being challenged.