台灣婦女成長團體與「子宮家庭」 的權力展現

Women's Self-Growth Groups and Empowerment of the 'Uterine Family' in Taiwan

本文探討台北市三個婦女成長團體所反映的母親角色與權力之變遷。研究發現傳統以母子紐帶為主的「子宮家庭」，在今日台灣家庭中有勢力增強之傾向，不再居於「父系家庭」內的附屬地位，而因女性對子女教養自主權之增加，對傳統家庭之父系權威體制形成挑戰。本研究的三個婦女團體分別為家庭主婦組成的環保團體「主婦聯盟」，離婚及喪偶婦女組成的自助團體「婦女展業中心」及「晚晴協會」。三個團體的目標「自我成長」均相當程度地指涉女性營求個人生活的自主能力，在家庭方面顯現為母角色的更大權力。家庭主婦透過主婦聯盟，學習子女教育的技巧，進而在家庭內掌握與夫平等之子女教養決策權；另一方面，她們訴諸為母角色，積極參與環境保護運動與教育改革，以推動母親角色在社會上的影響力。離婚及喪偶婦女也透過母親角色，鞏固其在家庭中之地位和利益，甚而以母親角色為動力，尋求經濟獨立和社會支持。再者，此類自助團體的姐妹情誼支持許多女性貶低婚姻的重要性，或排斥再婚，以維繫其女性單親戶長的自主權。傳統中國家庭之研究偏於將女性定位為附屬於父權體制下的妻子，本文強調現代台灣女性利用成長團體旳社會資源，強化家庭內的母權和母子關係，三個婦女團體代表「子宮家庭」的權力展現，形成與父系權威相抗衡之趨勢。

This paper examines maternal identities and power as represented among three women's self-growth groups in Taipei, Taiwan. In particular, I explore the continuity and transformation of the 'uterine family' — composed of a mother and her children, in Wolf's definition (1972) — in contemporary Taiwan society. One group is an environmental protection group for housewives, and the other two are support groups for divorced women and widows. I find that the notion of 'self-growth', as many of these women define the term, refers to their search for autonomy and power as mothers. In various ways and degrees, these women are attempting to become autonomous, resourceful, and capable mothers. Housewives seek to enhance their ability to control childraising, thus increasing their domestic power. Further, they take actions in issues of public concern — such as children's education and environmental protection — therefore expanding their maternal power in society. Divorced women and widows cast their maternal roles as strongholds from which they can safeguard their interests, domestic power, and social identities, as well as search for independence from men. Their sisterhood reinforces the tendency of many women to refuse or downplay the importance of remarriage in order to maintain the autonomy of governing the mother-centered family. My main argument is that these three groups represent a tendency of empowering the Chinese 'uterine family.' Many women in these groups strengthen their maternal power and their bonds with their children to such an extent that they undermine patriarchal order of the Chinese family.