Due to the prevalence of transnational marriages, the issues related to foreign spouses have become a focus of the government, a wide variety of related organizations, media and academia in Taiwan. Some people within these groups mentioned that the relevant issues were, in fact, over discussed. Actually, according to the statistics of the Ministry of the Interior, before the Interview System was established in 2004, transnational marriages were only 31.39% in 2003; most of the immigrants were foreign spouses (mainly females). The numbers were higher than those of foreign laborers, and even higher than the total numbers of aboriginal peoples. The foreign spouses have become the fourth group in Taiwan. As a result, studies on female immigrants are worthy of research. There has been less research concerning employment rights and demands, and in particular there¡¦s almost no quantification study. Because of the difficulties in determining vocabulary designed for the questionnaires and interviews with the foreign spouses, the employment demands can only be studied after receiving assistance from the related sections/departments of Kaohsiung County. The study aims to understand the professional trainings and employment demands of female immigrants as well as the remuneration, work hours and humiliation in Taiwan. Based on the collected literature reviews and the workshops on employment promotion, their work experiences and language preferences were understood. Surveys were carried out by 28 counselors of the Veterans Affairs Commission and the study subjects were foreign spouses in the 27 villages/townships of Kaohsiung County. Interviews were held at the Immigration Service Center of Kaohsiung County, and foreign spouses from China were excluded. 1180 questionnaires were sent and 932 were received. Valid questionnaires were 900. The study result shows that: there¡¦s significant influence of age, education level, number of children and husbands on the employment demands. 50% of the foreign spouses from China cannot write Chinese, the official language in Taiwan. Many of them have no knowledge that there are professional training and employment provided by the Service Center; there are no preferred training classes arranged by the Center in which they can participate, such as babysitter training. The present trainings were often merely cooking and housework courses. Regarding the humiliation their reaction is quite diverse; either it is absolutely agreed or disagreed with. Transportation is also a main problem. Almost all foreign spouses have a heavier workload in housework than the ordinary Taiwanese housewives. They work more than 8 hours a day and receive less remuneration. Proposals: (1) foreign spouses from China or Southeast Asia should be separated in the related researches; (2) foreign spouses from China should be differentiated between wife of veteran or non-veteran; the variation of their education level and age should be analyzed; (3) a Simplified Chinese should be designed for the foreign spouses from China; (4) try to avoid the humiliation; particularly the labor condition that is worse than the condition regulated in the Labor Law; (5) encourage enterprises to pick up the workers from home to the company in order to solve the problem of transportation; (6) open babysitter or nursing classes so that the care quality can be enhanced; if the related professional trainings can be continued, the lack of man power problem can be solved and (7) according to the Employment Services Act issued by the Ministry of the Interior that relates to courses lasting for 18 hours: the participants are mostly females at middle age or older; participating in courses is free of charge; and a living allowance can be applied for. But in the questionnaire, it indicated that a participating fee would be charged.

Essa dissertação de mestrado tem por objetivo perscrutar os valores atribuídos a relacionamentos afetivosexuais que se estabelecem através da mediação de sites de relacionamentos e agências de casamento entre homens do chamado primeiro mundo e mulheres do chamado terceiro mundo. Em particular, relacionamentos entre homens alemães e mulheres brasileiras. Tendo como pano de fundo as dinâmicas históricas e sociais que tornam relacionamentos desse tipo não apenas possíveis, mas também desejáveis, objetivo iluminar de que maneiras tais dinâmicas estariam implicadas na produção e reprodução do desejo e de interações tidas como íntimas, bem como essas dinâmicas mobilizariam noções de sexualidade e raça. Procuro, ademais, localizar o lugar ocupado pelas brasileiras nesse mercado internacional de fluxos matrimoniais e agências de casamento. Investigo ainda as motivações pessoais de indivíduos que fazem uso dessa forma de se buscar um/a parceiro/a compatível e questiono como relações mais amplas relativas a desigualdades de poder, gênero, raça e nacionalidade são pensadas nos processos de estabelecimento desses relacionamentos. / This dissertation aims to scrutinize the values attributed to affectivesexual relationships that are established through the mediation of dating websites and introduction agencies between men from the socalled \"first world\" and women from the socalled \"third world\". In particular, relationships between German men and Brazilian women. Taking in consideration the historical and social dynamics that make such relationships not only possible, but also desirable, I aim to shed light into how such dynamics are implicated in the production and reproduction of desire and of intimate interactions, as well as how such dynamics mobilize notions of race and sexuality. Furthermore, I seek to find the place occupied by Brazilian women in the market of international marriage flows and marriage agencies. I also investigate the personal motivations of individuals who make usage of these tools to find a suitable partner and question how wider power, gender, race and nationality inequalities are thought through in the processes of establishing these relationships.

國內跨國婚姻家庭的數量逐年升高，主要是因為近十年東南亞籍女性配偶的大量移入。各界討論跨國婚姻的視角鮮少以微觀的家庭互動觀點論之，並且未詳細理解跨國家庭在成因與家庭型態上的不同。因此本研究以質的研究方式，著重互動與詮釋等微視觀點，重新理解跨國家庭本身，並比較初婚及繼親跨國家庭間的異同；比較的面向包括家庭形成之過程與基礎，家庭角色規範，家庭界域，夫妻與親子互動關係等。同時，本研究也探索國內大眾或媒體對跨國家庭的偏見與歧視作用在跨國家庭中所可能造成的影響。本研究資料是經由對來自四個跨國初婚家庭與四個跨國繼親家庭中之家長及子女進行深入訪談而取得。研究結果顯示，跨國初婚與繼親家庭的家庭成因略有差異，而跨國家庭在外部關係上，皆具有結構上的困境，並影響家人互動關係。家庭內部關係上，夫妻關係與親子關係也有其個別的異同之處。在文化與適應上，跨國家庭傾向具有雙元的飲食文化特色，以及多元的語言接觸機會。並且，台籍配偶包容度能提升外籍配偶的適應情況。總體而論，跨國繼親家庭需面對較多家庭問題，並且容易因為「跨國」的因素，而使問題越加複雜。跨國家庭成員大多也對仲介婚姻存有偏見，因此將多將自身婚姻視為是「交往成婚」類型，藉此降低社會偏見可能對其造成的污名化影響。研究歸結，跨國家庭之家庭經驗具有獨特性，此一獨特性，除了受社會結構性因素影響之外，也受家庭人際互動的影響，某些層次上，更反映岀了初婚與繼親家庭的差異。 / Due largely to the escalating volume of immigration from Southeast Asia, the number of transnational families in Taiwan has increased significantly in the past decade. A number of studies have been conducted on these transnational families. However, these studies focused mostly on the macro-structural aspect of the phenomenon, and none approached the issue from the micro viewpoint. This study adopted a micro perspective to examine the experiences of transnational families established by Taiwanese and Southeast Asians. I used qualitative methods to compare transnational families established by first marriages with those established by remarriages (stepfamilies) in grounds of family formation, family boundaries, rules governing roles of family members, and marital as well as parent-child relationships. This study also assessed the possible influence of prejudice and discrimination in the mass media and the general public on these transnational families. Data were collected through interviews with parents and children from four transnational families established by first marriages and four established by remarriages. The findings indicated that cultural difference was often associated with the difficulties faced by transnational families. Moreover, transnational families established by first marriages with those established by remarriages (stepfamilies) were quite different, in that the latter often encountered more difficulties in managing family relationships, constructing family boundaries, establishing unambiguous rules directing roles of family members, and following these rules. Members of transnational families tended to have more exposure to diverse religions and languages, and dietary practices may differ among family members. Family’s economic status is influential in shaping the relationships among family members, especially in families with financial problems. Most of the informants interviewed were inclined to distance their families from the stereotypical image of a transnational family in the eyes of the media as well as the general public, which can be seen as a strategy to avoid stigmatization. In conclusion, the results showed that the unique experiences of transnational families were embedded in social contexts and shaped by various social factors on the one hand, and developed by family members through daily interactions on the other. Furthermore, such experiences reflected the distinctions between transnational families established by first marriages and those established by remarriages.

Essa dissertação de mestrado tem por objetivo perscrutar os valores atribuídos a relacionamentos afetivosexuais que se estabelecem através da mediação de sites de relacionamentos e agências de casamento entre homens do chamado primeiro mundo e mulheres do chamado terceiro mundo. Em particular, relacionamentos entre homens alemães e mulheres brasileiras. Tendo como pano de fundo as dinâmicas históricas e sociais que tornam relacionamentos desse tipo não apenas possíveis, mas também desejáveis, objetivo iluminar de que maneiras tais dinâmicas estariam implicadas na produção e reprodução do desejo e de interações tidas como íntimas, bem como essas dinâmicas mobilizariam noções de sexualidade e raça. Procuro, ademais, localizar o lugar ocupado pelas brasileiras nesse mercado internacional de fluxos matrimoniais e agências de casamento. Investigo ainda as motivações pessoais de indivíduos que fazem uso dessa forma de se buscar um/a parceiro/a compatível e questiono como relações mais amplas relativas a desigualdades de poder, gênero, raça e nacionalidade são pensadas nos processos de estabelecimento desses relacionamentos. / This dissertation aims to scrutinize the values attributed to affectivesexual relationships that are established through the mediation of dating websites and introduction agencies between men from the socalled \"first world\" and women from the socalled \"third world\". In particular, relationships between German men and Brazilian women. Taking in consideration the historical and social dynamics that make such relationships not only possible, but also desirable, I aim to shed light into how such dynamics are implicated in the production and reproduction of desire and of intimate interactions, as well as how such dynamics mobilize notions of race and sexuality. Furthermore, I seek to find the place occupied by Brazilian women in the market of international marriage flows and marriage agencies. I also investigate the personal motivations of individuals who make usage of these tools to find a suitable partner and question how wider power, gender, race and nationality inequalities are thought through in the processes of establishing these relationships.