‘My fight for a new Taiwan’ is a chronicle by Lu Hsiu-lien on the fight for the human rights, democracy, and equality for the people of Taiwan. A dictatorial government ruled Taiwan for many years. The people were denied their democratic rights and gender inequality was highly practiced in the country. The dictatorial government operating under nationalist party did not allow the Taiwan people to express their grievances. Denial for public expression meant that the regime was not democratic. The government deceived people that Taiwan was a free nation through spread of propaganda in order to keep the citizens calm. This form of government made Taiwan an underdeveloped country because there were corruption, unequal job distribution, gender inequality, and discrimination. The women of Taiwan were highly disregarded in terms of job opportunities and leadership representation. Lu Hsiu-Lien grew up in the era of gender discrimination and inequality, which made her to develop a passion for advocating for women rights, as well as democratic freedoms and development for Taiwan (Lien 112).
In her book “My Fight for A New Taiwan," Lu gives an account of the status of women in Taiwan when she was growing up. The nationalist government in Taiwan failed to address issues on gender equality, and this made women in Taiwan highly misrepresented. Women were not entitled to the right of education, which made majority of them illiterate. Few women were able to attend schools, but failed to proceed because they dropped out of school for marriage. The parents arranged marriage for their daughters who were still in school. Taiwan had a stereotypical culture that believed men were strong and energetic, whereas women were weak and tender. Because of this perception, women were mostly assigned the domestic duties such as cooking and farm preparation. Men were perceived as assets in Taiwan and were more economically valued than women, although their educational levels were similar. Most of the employees in Taiwan workplaces were males, who were paid higher wages than women. Wage discrimination was common in Taiwan, which made female life difficult because they felt inferior to men. The gender stereotype culture in Taiwan made women fail to pursue careers such as scientists, soldiers, pilot, and doctors because they were considered to belong to men. Those who were educated ended up being teachers, nurses, and secretaries.
Lack of education was among the biggest issue in the gender equality for women in Taiwan during Lu Hsiu-lien growth. The authoritarian government ensured that few women were educated, to ensure less opposition to its oppressive governance. Education for women was limited in the 1960s and 1970s, when the women movements were forming (Lien 148). Limited access to education for women in Taiwan enabled the authoritarian regime to control these movements from posing many threats to its governance. Lu Hsiu-lien pioneered feminist movements in the 1970s in the struggle to fight for gender equality and political reforms in Taiwan. Hsiu-lien Lu was lucky to access education and got a scholarship to further her studies in Harvard University. Her education made her meet with feminists from the west, who helped her fight for inequality in Taiwan, through giving her support and ideas on how to handle feminist movements. The western feminist movements created awareness for Lu, hence building her a platform to advocate for gender equality in Taiwan.
Hsiu-lien Lu’s passion for seeing a democratic Taiwan was a main factor that contributed to her becoming a feminist in the 1970s. Lu came from a poor family and community that were discriminated by the government. This made her to develop a passion for fighting for the democratic rights of her people as well of others that were experiencing similar challenges. An additional advantage that made Lu able to become a prominent feminist in the era was her education. Having gone to study in the Harvard University, she was exposed to international politics because she interacted with activists who shared ideas with her. Lu’s education helped her to express her views through writing newsletters, books, and magazines. In the 1970s there was a massive push for reforms, and this gave Lu a good base to mobilize women groups to air their grievances to the government. The Taiwanese feminists had adopted legislation rather than liberalism to highlight the reforms that they wanted the government to review. She also had support from the Taiwanese women because they were willing to form movements to push for gender equality and democracy.
Through the struggle for democratization in Taiwan, Lu faced many challenges. Some of the grievances that Lu presented were political reforms, gender equality, environmental protection, and the fight for democracy. Moreover, Lu was against dictator and the oppression that the women in Taiwan faced. During her struggle for democracy, Lu was imprisoned and served a jail term of more than five years. Although Lu was a feminist leader, she was raised in a family that had no political connections. Lu’s family did not support politics, and thus this posed as a challenge to Lu because she lacked exposure to the matters concerning politics. Despite being raised in a family free from politics, Lu’s parents attempted to give her away for adoption twice. The actions that Lu’s parents showed Lu explain some of the resistances that Lu experienced in her lifetime. Despite the family resistance that Lu experienced while young, she managed to survive cancer after becoming an adult. The challenges that Lu experienced during her lifetime resisted her from achieving her dreams although she strived. Lu was courageous and determined, and thus these values enhanced her success.
In 1980, Lu was charged in a court of law for leading citizens for a demonstration during the Human Rights Day. Lu was sentenced to a jail term of five and a half years basing on the confessions and allegations made against her. Lu’s fight for democracy is observed while in high school when she denounced her teacher after changing the grades of one of the students who belonged to a nationalist official. However, despite the challenges and resistance from some of the societal members, Lu managed to be elected to serve the second position in the Chinese nation. Lu’s life shows women’s role in the struggle for democracy in China. Lu, who was nearly given away by her parents, changed both her life and the lives of the Chinese citizens. Lu used democratic politics to find love for her country, and fight for the freedom of the people from Taiwan (Lien 228).
The feminist movement in Taiwan has promoted advancements in the status of women in Taiwan. The movement promoted the emergence of the Taiwan women from traditional families to social activities and modern job market. Moreover, the feminist movement enhanced the independence of Taiwan. The status of women in Taiwan changed from dependency to autonomy. Traditionally, the women from Taiwan were supposed to obey and be royal to their parents. After marriage, the women were supposed to obey their husbands. In the case a woman is widowed, she was supposed to obey her sons. The unmarried women in the society were adopted, and others sold at times of economic hardships in the country. The women in Taiwan were dependent on their husbands. The experiences of Taiwanese women show how the women in the society were oppressed. The rights of women in Taiwan had been violated. Women were considered as commodities, meaning that they could be sold in times when there were shortages of capital. Taiwanese women lacked autonomy. Even after marriage, women were treated as children, and had to obey all the men. In the case a woman loses her husband, the community leaders would adopt a man to replace the dead husband.
However, despite the challenges faced by the Taiwan women, the feminist movement led by Lu played a crucial role in fighting for the rights of women. The efforts made by Lu through the feminist movement have improved the social status of women in Taiwan. Moreover, the feminist movement developed the social environment of both the men and women from Taiwan (Lien 298). The movement promoted the clearance of the political liberalization and obstacles that prevented the success of Taiwan. Through the feminist movement women were granted rights, which included the right to participate in social and political activities. In addition, women can take part in the labor force. The feminist movement advocated for the rights of women, whereby they were allowed to vote, and directly involved in political and governmental affairs. Gender equality was promoted in Taiwan, enhancing mutual respect between men and women.
Works cited
Lien, Lu. My fight for a new taiwan one woman's journey from prison to power.. S.l.: Univ Of Washington Press, 2014. Print.
