性別平等與傳統文化的權衡——臺灣與日本司法審查的觀察

The Balance of Gender Equality and Traditional Culture: An Observation of Judicial Review in Taiwan and Japan

因傳統文化、社會習俗所導致的性別上差別待遇時，不易判斷應以優先實踐憲法性別平等價值，或維持社會傳統文化習俗。在2015年臺灣的司法院大法官解釋與日本最高法院大法庭，皆屬於性別平等與傳統文化發生衝突的案件，兩案爭議的產生係因民事法律以形式上、客觀中立的文字規範，但實質上產生對特定性別不利的結果。兩國的爭議案件環繞在婚姻家庭制度的核心，與夫妻稱姓、祭祀、財產繼承有關，臺灣是涉及處理傳統文化上宗族祭祀與繼承的祭祀公業條例；日本則是基於家庭傳統文化，民法規範夫妻結婚應強制使用相同姓氏的爭議。本文認為，兩國司法機關在權衡性別平等與社會傳統文化價值時，忽視性別上間接歧視的事實，採取相當寬鬆的合理性司法審查基準，並且未深入探究CEDAW的國際人權公約規範效力，而錯失實踐性別平等與調整傳統社會文化的契機。 When gender discrimination is caused by traditional culture orgender stereotype in society, it's hard to decide that gender equality ortraditional culture should be priority. In 2015, Taiwan's ConstitutionalCourt (Judicial Yuan) and the Supreme Court of Japan both had thecases which were about the conflict between gender equality andtraditional culture. Because of the words used in the laws are quiteobjective in form, but gender discriminations are caused by the lawsessentially. The laws are all about the core of marriage and familysystem which are constructed by family name, property and worshipancestor in particular. These disputes are the Statutes GoverningAncestor Worship Guilds stipulates in Taiwan, and Japan Civil lawthat enforce married couple who must use the same family name. Inmy observations, I think the courts ignored the facts of indirectdiscrimination in gender when taking balance between gender equalityand traditional culture. Therefore, they neglected the importance ofCEDAW and only took rational standard judicial review. As a result,Taiwan and Japan lost opportunity to practice gender equality andimprove the traditional culture.