Negotiating for change: women’s movements and education reform in Taiwan

Abstract

The dramatic changes during the past 20 years in Taiwan offer a good example of how gender policy in education is facilitated by a combination of interrelated economic, political and social forces. Taiwan’s policy on gender education emerged from the interaction of state, education, academic and non‐academic feminist positions in reforms. This paper demonstrates – first, the importance of the socio‐political contexts in which reform was proposed, and second, the actions of feminists in making best use of the opportunities thrown up by a confluence of social factors. The social, economic and political transformations of the 1980s saw the rise of a ‘new’ state both supposedly and in reality more responsive to the needs of non‐profit organisations. In testing out relationships of partnership with the state, feminist activists saw the deregulation of education as an opportunity to get women’s issues on the agenda. These reforms were catalysed by a series of social events bringing together supporters in a mood of celebration, protest or mourning specifically in response to particular events. The struggles, contentions, and negotiations that underlay the eventual approval of gender reform in education are illustrated.

Keywords:

• education reform
• educational policy
• the women’s movement
• the state
• Taiwan
• gender equity

Notes

1. Traditionally, ‘normal universities’ managed the educational system in Taiwan. As the sole initial teacher training institutions, their alumni took up a variety of roles in every kind of educational function – as ministers, administrators, headteachers, teachers, educational academics, etc. From 1997 onwards, some universities offered courses of gender education in the Centre for Initial Teacher Education.

2. The KMT (Kuomintang), founded by Dr Sun Yet‐Sen, overthrew the Chi Dynasty in 1911 to establish the Republic of China. Since 1949 the Communist Party have assumed oversight of the country, establishing the People’s Republic of China (PRC) thereby ousting the KMT.

3. Dozens of NPOs, including the Humanistic Education Foundation (established 1988), the Association for Teachers’ Rights (established 1987), the Jhen‐Duo Teacher’s Association (established 1989), the Homemaker’s Union and Foundation (established 1988), and the Educational Reform for Universities Association (established 1989), banded themselves into the ‘410 Educational Reform Alliance’, pressing for educational reform. It is important to note that the NPOs had a host of different ideas concerning directions for change. The four objectives around which members of the alliance were able to crystallise, however, were downsizing class and school sizes, establishing more senior high schools and universities, modernising education, and enacting an Education Basic Law.

4. Three important laws were passed in 1994: the Teachers Training Act, deregulating teacher‐training and throwing training open to the general universities after it had previously been restricted to the ‘normal’ universities or teachers’ colleges; the Teachers Act, which allowed schools a free choice of job candidates and set up a basis for teachers’ association in schools, and finally the modification of University Law, which granted university autonomy and guaranteed academic freedom. Additionally, further legislation was passed on parental involvement of school affairs, the deregulation of textbooks, etc.