The Significance of Cross-Border Marriage in a Low Fertility Society: Evidence from Taiwan

Abstract

Few efforts have been made to explore two emerging demographic features, the extra low fertility of the Taiwanese population, and a rapid increase in cross-border marriages. The objective of this research is to provide comparative estimates of fertility outcomes of marriage immigrants from Mainland China, Southeast Asia, and other countries. Through exploring the 2003 Survey of Foreign and Mainland Chinese Spouses’ Living Conditions, this study gives us a first glimpse of how prevalent cross-border marriages are in Taiwanese society. While the headlines tend to portray an image that only old veterans and minority rural men are likely to marry an immigrant, the findings indeed show that an increased number of Taiwanese men have adopted cross-border marriage as an alternative. The fertility results reveal a singularly important conclusion: the substantial number of babies born to immigrant mothers has made an important contribution to total fertility rates in recent years. Despite an increasing anxiety concerning the quantity of newborns from foreign and Mainland Chinese mothers, this research shows that the average number of children born to a marriage immigrant is still lower than the replacement level. By examining the sex ratios of recent newborns from cross-border marriages, it is evident that some couples may have a strong preference for a son. This unexpected outcome deserves more observation and research from policymakers and researchers.