The cross-Strait marriages have gradually been increasing since 1987 when the Taiwan government lifted the restrictions on its nationals to travel to China, either as tourist, or to visit their long lost relatives who are living in China. The growing number further increased when in 1992, the government allowed, with restrictions, the Taiwanese businessmen to invest in China. Henceforth, tourism, cultural, economic and social interactions, including intermarriages had an unprecedented increase. Likewise, on the same year, the government allowed Taiwanese men to marry Chinese women and has set out the rules allowing the Chinese spouses to settle down in Taiwan. The cross strait marriages are now considered a social phenomenon, especially when the number of Chinese spouses reached 198,031 in August 2004. They are now considered as one of Taiwan¡¦s minority groups that need special consideration from both the government and society. The Chinese spouses who are mostly women, come from different cultural, social and political environment, thus, are faced with more challenges and difficulty in phasing in, both in their domestic life and the Taiwan community, in general. It is in this context of this vulnerability, that Taiwan society should give preferential attention to the Chinese spouses. This study aims to explore the Chinese female spouses¡¦ family backgrounds, individual personalities, motives for marriage, ways of finding their partners, how they get oriented to Taiwan¡¦s way of life and how these new adaptations affect their life. In the light of these detailed information, the study seeks to further understand the Chinese female spouses¡¦ predicaments both in spiritual and material aspects, and surface their most urgent needs. This study also aims to provide a new perspective of the Chinese female spouses so that Taiwan society can be compassionate and overcome the existing prejudices against them. Further, a better understanding of the Chinese spouses¡¦ predicament would enable the government to draw up policies that will protect their rights and interests as ¡§genuine Taiwanese daughters-in-law.¡¨ The research approach of the study is qualitative and the researcher conducted in-depth interview among 20 Chinese female spouses who live in Taipei County and Taipei City. The conclusions of this study are as follows: I. The structure of Chinese spouse: A. The number of female spouse overwhelmingly outnumbers the number of male spouses. B. The pattern of cross-Strait marriages is that of an ¡§old husband marries a young wife¡¨. More than one-third of cross-strait marriages are second marriages. C. Most of these Chinese spouses are in manual labors or unemployed. D. The cross-Straits marriages are closely related to the cross-Straits businesses, which start from the eastern coast to middle China and goes westward to the inland. E. Most of the Chinese spouses live in big cities after they came to Taiwan and most of them reside in Taipei County and Taipei City. F. Taiwan spouses¡¦ educational backgrounds gradually became better than those of their Chinese female spouses. II. The Chinese women¡¦s motives for marrying Taiwanese men have gradually changed. Chinese women have changed the reasons to choose their partners from better economic standing to better or compatible personalities. The second consideration is whether there is love between the couple. The economic capability is now the last consideration for their marriages. III. The different ways of how they find their partners has a big influence on the Chinese female spouses¡¦ adjustment to Taiwan¡¦s lifestyle. Those who were free to choose their partners have better accommodation in Taiwan, and those who were arranged to know their husbands by their relatives or friends, were mostly disappointed. Some of them even felt they were deceived into marriage, thus they regretted their marriages and are driven to depressions. IV. The major and key factors that influence the Chinese female spouses¡¦ life adaptation in Taiwan are more of the legal issues, more specifically, their rights to residence, rights to status and rights to work. The other problems include: lack of support network or mechanisms in Taiwan society, the unequal treatment between men and women, and the social discrimination against them.

The overall aim of this thesis was to explore informal caregivers’ daily life with particular focus on those living with a spouse who has Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) in different grades, mild to severe, based on the ill person’s main concern. The study design was explorative, comparative and descriptive. The thesis included a literature review of 45 scientific articles and semi-structured interviews with 23 patients suffering from COPD, and 21 women and 19 men living with a spouse suffering from COPD. Data were analysed using content analysis, grounded theory, and phenomenography. Main findings: Men and women living with a spouse suffering from mild COPD did not experience changes in their daily life, and were not in need of support. It was when the COPD gradually escalated that their daily life was affected and they needed support. The caregiving women conceived that their daily life was socially restricted, they had changed roles, changes in health and changes in the couple’s relationship. The caregiving men’s daily life was conceived as burdened, restricted and the partner relationship was affected. The men’s attitude was to continue with their own life and own activities, and their approach to their caregiving situation was to view themselves as “Me and my spouse”. The main concern for people suffering from COPD was feelings of guilt due to self-inflicted disease associated with smoking habits. The thesis shows that there are differences in informal caregiving between males and females. Conclusion: This thesis shows that there are differences in male and female caregiving for a spouse suffering from COPD. The caregivers conceive and handle the caregiving situation in different ways. It is central that health professionals and municipality consider this along with the individual needs that are related to the development of the COPD. There is a need to identify the person who suffers from COPD and their spouses from the first contact onwards, to regularly follow the development of their situation and need of support.