成年未婚單親母親的生育抉擇：依 Beck 個人化理論檢視

The Decision of Unwed Childbirth of Taiwanese Never-married Single Mothers: Examining in the Framework of Beck’s Individualisation Theory

單親家庭的問題雖然在臺灣社會中逐漸被重視，但佔少數的未婚單親母親大多還是會面臨社會的批評和獨自養育子女的經濟後果，其中，成年未婚單親母親更是缺乏關注的一群人。目前少有研究嘗試理解她們選擇成為一位未婚單親背後的原因，因此本文以Beck 個人化（individualisation）理論來了解臺灣未婚單親母親在一個婚姻與生育緊密連結的社會，如何成為一個「不婚但生育」的母親的過程。本研究以深度訪談方式蒐集30 位成年未婚母親的親身經歷，藉此了解未婚母親在生育選擇中的結構（structure）和自我行動（agency）的相互影響。研究發現，這些未婚母親的生育決定具有外界因素影響（例如孩子的父親或家庭接受程度）和自身信念（例如責任感或渴望母職）的成分，一推一拉之間而形成生育獨養的抉擇，可見這群母親並不像社會大眾所批評的樣貌中那麼的無知和缺乏考量。而傳統的婚育觀念如何透過「制度化家庭主義」（Institutionalized Familism）在當中影響這群女性的選擇，充分表現出結構和自我行動之間的互動和連結，以及個人化理論在臺灣的可能樣貌呈現。針對發現，本研究也提出相關政策與方案服務可重新檢視的面向以做參考。

Being only 6% of all single mothers, never-married single mothers in Taiwan are a group of mothers which have been neglected for long time. Public perception of these mothers has been harsh and they are associated with infanticide, abortion or welfare dependency. This research, therefore, aims to explore the underlying reasons for their decisions to be mothers in such circumstances. This research conducted in-depth interviews with 30 adult never-married single mothers in Taiwan. Through the lens of individualisation from Beck, the findings highlight that their decisions to become mothers and their marital expectations mirrored the gendered expectation from Confucianism when it emphasises the importance of motherhood. This on the one hand, has offered them a ‘space’ to justify themselves as a never-married single mother and, on the other, has shown that the sign of individualisation happening on the Taiwanese women are very much constrained and actually driven by the culture and gendered-relevant social norms.