父權隨行─從小金門到汶萊第一代女性移民的經驗（1919-1929）

Abstract

People in Little Kinmen started their first exodus to Brunei Since 1835. There are many reasons why people emigrate. For male migrants, the biggest push factors came from poverty and war while for female, the only reason they migrated was to follow the men. This research covers seven women's life experiences of being the first generation to immigrate from Little Kinmen to Brunei. These experiences are going to tell us the connection between gender and immigration. In addition, they also explain the transformation of the roles of men and women by stating how it changed and what it changed into after the migration. Patriarchy had been shaken after the first generation of female immigrants settled down in Brunei, which ended up to be a turning point for women to have their own voice. The introduction of nuclear family changed the traditional stereotypes of gender roles, balancing the once inequivalent relation between men and women. Male and female immigrants shared the difficulties of living in a new environment in a way that highlights female social status. However, under the influence of patriarchy, the idea of adhering to the male never disappeared. Female immigrants still expected themselves to be dependent on men after moving to the destination country. They'd been marked as home-oriented since long time ago; therefore, the stereotype can hardly be removed. As a result, life became even tougher for women since they had to take on the responsibility of being a mother and a career woman at the same time. Also, women would only be willing to live with their sons rather than daughters, which explains another idea of patriarchy. Patriarchal gender conventions was formed by the combination of ancestral ideas and the ending of traditional women. As the female internalized patriarchal gender conventions, they also at the same time detached themselves from the opportunities coming with the shaken patriarchal system. In another word, in the destination country, women still adhered to the rules and conventions of patriarchy even if there was a chance for them to change. Despite the many possibilities brought by immigration, women refused to become empowered by living behind the curtain, which once again strengthened the patriarchal system.