「最理想」照顧安排？──文化解釋觀點

What is the Best Choice of Care Model? A Cultural Perspective

本文欲透過5對夫妻對於照顧安排選擇經驗之詮釋，探索性別與照顧文化對於照顧安排選擇之影響。研究發現，密集母職的信仰使得母親在工作者「利己」與照顧者「利他」的文化矛盾中掙扎，加上照顧核心化及性別分工不均等，母親仍舊承擔多數的照顧壓力。文化變遷所帶來的專家論述與傳統文化產生變化，使得我國照顧安排呈現與過往相似卻又相異的樣貌。人們在討論照顧安排時，大多在家庭與市場中抉擇，而未將國家列入考量，此思考脈絡的產生，恐源於我國照顧公共化腳步緩慢之故。我國照顧安排受到文化影響至深，文化改變須依賴政策的協助，故政府面對此一狀況，除可藉由育嬰假等政策推動共同照顧模式之外，需同時以服務取代津貼，才能夠建立完善托育福利體制，邁向照顧公共化之路。 This study examined the influence of gender and culture in childcare arrangements. Social change has contributed to a transformation in childcare. How caregivers make choices and arrangements under the new circumstances warrants investigation. Through in-depth interviews with five couples with zero, one, two, or three children in Taiwan, this study explored the influence of gender and culture in childcare arrangements. First, this study revealed that social change has led to ever-increasing demands for childcare; however, few people are willing to take responsibility for these demands. Women are commonly not only the primary caregiver of their children but also working professionals. As such, they struggle with a cultural contradiction between the “self-interest” of being a working professional and the “altruism” of being a caregiver. In nuclear families, although parents bear all childcare responsibilities, the gender division of labor is often uneven; mothers have societal pressure to assume the role of primary caregiver. Second, the concept of daycare is changing because of new developments. Parents have begun selecting care models that deviate from traditional cultural customs such as infant care centers—a policy that the government of Taiwan has actively promoted. As parents gain positive experiences of using such alternative care models, they begin to internalize attitudes or behaviors related to home-based care no longer being the primary care model. Therefore, a dialectical relationship exists between culture and policy. Based on the aforementioned results, several policy suggestions are proposed in this paper. Care arrangements are deeply affected by culture; however, cultural changes are reliant on government policy. Therefore, the government of Taiwan must not only promote a dual breadwinner and dual childcare provider model through policies such as parental leave but also replace the childcare allowance with services that improve the existing childcare welfare system.

This study examined the influence of gender and culture in childcare arrangements. Social change has contributed to a transformation in childcare. How caregivers make choices and arrangements under the new circumstances warrants investigation. Through in-depth interviews with five couples with zero, one, two, or three children in Taiwan, this study explored the influence of gender and culture in childcare arrangements. First, this study revealed that social change has led to ever-increasing demands for childcare; however, few people are willing to take responsibility for these demands. Women are commonly not only the primary caregiver of their children but also working professionals. As such, they struggle with a cultural contradiction between the “self-interest” of being a working professional and the “altruism” of being a caregiver. In nuclear families, although parents bear all childcare responsibilities, the gender division of labor is often uneven; mothers have societal pressure to assume the role of primary caregiver. Second, the concept of daycare is changing because of new developments. Parents have begun selecting care models that deviate from traditional cultural customs such as infant care centers—a policy that the government of Taiwan has actively promoted. As parents gain positive experiences of using such alternative care models, they begin to internalize attitudes or behaviors related to home-based care no longer being the primary care model. Therefore, a dialectical relationship exists between culture and policy. Based on the aforementioned results, several policy suggestions are proposed in this paper. Care arrangements are deeply affected by culture; however, cultural changes are reliant on government policy. Therefore, the government of Taiwan must not only promote a dual breadwinner and dual childcare provider model through policies such as parental leave but also replace the childcare allowance with services that improve the existing childcare welfare system.