MARRIAGE ACROSS THE TAIWAN STRAIT:MALE MIGRANTS, MARITAL DESIRE AND SOCIAL LOCATION

This dissertation addresses the ways in which government policies and agendas, mediarepresentations, local histories and perceptions influence marriage patterns across the TaiwanStrait. While socio-economic interactions between the Republic of China (Taiwan or ROC) andthe Peoples Republic of China (PRC or Mainland China) have deepened in recent years, bothgovernments continue to often have conflicting agendas and policies aimed at supporting theirown goals. As a result, Taiwan promotes a policy of careful interaction with Mainland Chinawhich is reflected in Taiwan's strict immigration policies with regard to Mainland brides who areconsidered a threat to Taiwan's "population quality" (renkou suzhi).The PRC, on the other hand, has established policies aimed at increasing economic andsocial integration with Taiwan. Taiwanese men on the Mainland enjoy preferential treatment,particularly in China's Special Economic Zones. As more people travel across the Taiwan Strait,the number of cross-Strait (PRC-ROC), marriages have increased on the Mainland. Traditionalmarriage and kinship practices such as patrilocal marriages are often cited as primary factors ininfluencing women's place in Chinese society (Davin 2008, Johnson 1983, Lu 1997, Watson1991). However, a Mainland woman who marries a Taiwanese man and sets up a householdnear her natal home can have a very different experience. This practice, in turn, has in somecases led to more flexibility with regard to gender roles and mutual upward social mobility forboth partners on the Mainland.Finally this dissertation contributes to the academic literature regarding cross-bordermarriage and "global hypergamy," which usually refers to women from less developed, poorerregions who attempt to "marry up" by finding husbands in a more developed, richer area(Constable 2005). In this study, I consider a very different situation; men who migrate from amore developed region (Taiwan) to areas that are being developed (SEZ's). While most did notmigrate for the express purpose of marrying, these unions formed as a result of the migrationprocess. Examining these relationships reveal some interesting insights into the ways that recent shifts in the global economic landscape related to China's economy influence marriage patternsand marital relations