| Abstract: | This paper discusses symbols of feminine gender and sexuality as they intersect economic and sociological aspects of urban Taiwan today by examining kinship and marriage, participation in the paid labor force, and the development and persistence of sociocultural notions of femininity in each new generation. I argue that the roots of women's subordination in Taiwanese society are located not in the politico-economic order, but in the patriarchal kinship system which upholds that order. The meanings of gender and sexuality arise out of the interaction of women's position in the social structure and the cultural ideology which helps to create and maintain that position. To create and produce more satisfying visions of their own and their daughters' femininity, women must become full participants in the social discourse which creates and maintains the current narrow vision. |
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