玉纖輕撮話纔通：日治時期臺灣的電話女接線生

Slim Fingers and Soft-spoken Voice: The Female Switchboard Operators in Colonial Taiwan

電話接線生，又稱「交換手」，是一個曾被視為專屬於女性，卻已走入歷史的職業。電話技術於十九世紀末引入臺灣，並於1900年開放大眾使用，當時尚需以人工操作電話交換機以接通發話與收話兩端，並隨著電話的蓬勃發展，日本殖民政府大量採用女性擔任電話接線生，成為當時新興的女性職業。本文旨在討論電話接線生如何成為當時臺灣女性得以選擇的工作、哪些女性可以成為其中的一員，以及接線生為何被大眾「聽見」，以至於被視為專屬於女性或適合女性從事的工作。對照其他地區的電話接線生，殖民統治下的臺灣有何特殊性，從而見證女接線生故事背後所隱含之性別、職業與社會的關係。本文首先探討日本殖民政府為何僱用女性擔任接線生，嘗試比較其他國家電話發展，突顯臺灣在日本統治下的不同之處。其次，從女接線生的招募，分析當時由哪些女性從事，其中臺籍女性又如何佔有一席之地。接著從幾位女接線生的職業生命史，討論她們的就業動機、薪資收入以及職業生涯。最後，從女接線生的工作情況，以及用聲音溝通的職業特性，探討職業女性與大眾之間的性別互動，「聽見」歷史上另一種職業女性的「聲音」。

This research examines how the switchboard operator became a career for women in Taiwan under Japanese rule, who could be qualified, and why the public generally thought this occupation particularly suitable for women. Furthermore, this article notes what the particularities and differences of this profession were in colonial Taiwan in comparison to other countries. The switchboard operator, koukanshu, was a disappeared occupation today, but in the past it was usually for a career women. This technology was first introduced to Taiwan by the Japanese colonial government in the late nineteenth century. It was soon opened to the public in 1900 and developed into a flourishing industry business. Consequently, an entirely new occupation for women, the switchboard operators, was rapidly developed, and a number of very young girls were recruited during the colonial period. This occupation thus illustrates the intriguing relations and interactions between gender, career, and society. This article first analyzes the reasons that the colonial authority employed women as the switchboard operators. From the beginning, women had comprised the majority gender of operators in Taiwan. Second, this research analyzes the qualifications, opportunities, and socio-economic status of operators. This part of the article focuses on the numbers of Taiwanese women who were able to enter the workforce whereas even while Japanese were the main group in this job. Using the stories of former operators, this article then highlights their motivations, wages, and career development as well. This article concludes with an analysis of the gender and social interactions between the female switchboard operators and the public.