Intercultural Marriage and Its Impact on Fertility in Taiwan

Although spousal resemblance on educations and occupations has increased in Taiwanese society, the official statistics do show a delay in the age at first marriage and fewer marriages among women in particular. Many blue-collar male workers and farmers have been suffered more from these changes in the marriage market. With stronger demands to form family, to have descendants and to support elders, these men are more likely to adopt intercultural marriages of which most wives come from mainland China and Southeast Asia. The first part of this paper describes major changes in marital behaviors and attitudes among Taiwanese, following by a discussion on their direct and indirect influence on fertility. Then, the reasons accounting for the emergence of intercultural marriages are examined on the basis of the 2003 Survey of Foreign and Mainland Chinese Spouses’ Living Condition. A comparison regarding reproduction outcomes between Taiwanese and non-Taiwanese women is provided in the final part of this paper. These findings show foreign spouses from Southeast Asian countries actually have reproduced more children than other marriage immigrants. The data also evidence mainland Chinese spouses are more likely to be childless. More importantly, the traditional preference for son is even more obvious among intercultural marriages.