Gender Imbalances and the Twisted Marriage Market in Taiwan

Nowadays in Taiwan, for every four marriages there is one bride from overseas. It is estimated that the rise of foreign brides will grow to even greater numbers in the coming years. In this paper we use several indices to measure the imbalanced sex ratios since the1970s. It is found that the sex imbalance after the 1980s was at first favorable toward females in the marriage market in Taiwan. But, after the opening of the Mainland China border to Taiwanese tourists and business people in the mid-1980s, interethnic marriages between Taiwanese males and Mainland Chinese females become possible. Brides from Mainland China have been seeking a better life and improved economic opportunities in Taiwan. In addition, more foreign brides from Vietnam, Indonesia, and Cambodia have also been coming to Taiwan to marry Taiwanese males. A new marriage market has emerged after the influx of foreign brides to Taiwan, and now it has shifted to becoming a marriage market that is unfavorable toward Taiwanese females, especially those women of low education levels and living in rural areas. We will discuss the causes and consequences of the sex imbalance in Taiwan in recent years, with emphasis on the distorted marriage market now that foreign brides are a pivotal option for Taiwanese males