Women and the Military

Abstract

Abstract This chapter will include a look at the feminist perspective on female participation in combat roles, at the traditional role of women in Chinese culture, as well as an examination of how that role has changed with Taiwan’s modernization with respect to gender equality in Taiwan society, the women’s movement in Taiwan, and the forces that led to the growth of women in the workforce and in the ROC military. It is perhaps not surprising that militaries do not lead the wider society in participation by women, but rather follow. Taiwan is no exception, although for such a traditional society, the advancements made by women in Taiwan have been rapid and impressive. Unlike in the West, women in Taiwan did not join the workforce until relatively recently. In traditional Chinese societies, women are considered − at least on the surface − as housebound, second-class citizens whose value lies in obedience first to fathers, then husbands, and finally sons. From the 1950s to the early 1990s, there was a separate corps for female volunteers, and the role played by women was mostly restricted to nursing and working in the political warfare department. With Taiwan’s democratization, came the opening of a few military occupations to women, including logistics, combat support, and air-tower control. Until just a few years ago, women still faced barriers to attending Command and Staff Colleges and National Defense University’s War College, which are prerequisites for promotion, although those barriers were removed allowing women to gain admittance to these institutes of higher learning alongside their male colleagues.