Women’s contradictory roles in the community

Abstract

This article explores the contradictory relationships between women, the community and the state. In Taiwan, the state uses community work as a means of social control, for example, to reinforce patriarchal family relations; to manipulate women as a reserve army of labour to meet the need for a cheap labour force; and to formpatronage relationships with community leaders, in exchange for political loyalty. The Community Development Project is a typical example of this and is explored here. However, in contemporary Taiwan, an increasing number of women seek to change their relationships within the family, the community and the state through various initiatives which have taken them out of the private sphere. They have transcended the state-prescribed sex roles of mothers, homeworkers and volunteers by competing for leadership positions in the project.