| Summary: | 碩士 === 元智大學 === 管理碩士在職專班 === 102 === The proportion of women getting married at a later age or choosing to remain unmarried has steadily risen in recent years. According to statistics compiled by the Ministry of the Interior, the average age at first marriage for women was 22.3 in 1975, rising to 26.1 in 2000, a difference of 3.8 in 25 years. By 2012, the average age at first marriage for women was 29.5, another unprecedented high. With the rise of the average age at first marriage, it is apparent that late marriage is increasing in Taiwan. This study seeks to explore the personal views of never-married women, as well as the issues they face and their perception by society.
This study employs a qualitative approach, conducting 6 in-depth interviews with women aged between 30-39 living in Taipei City or New Taipei City, and who had never entered into a legally binding contract of marriage. Analysis of the interviews revealed:
I. Paradoxical single life: The urge to enjoy a free life conflicts with a sense of crisis regarding loneliness, as interviewees enjoyed the freedom, ease, and independence of single life, but yearned for companiohship nonetheless. II. Reasons for remaining single: A small circle of friends, long working hours, and ersonality issues all represented important contributing factors. III. Difficulty in finding eligible partners: Interviewees sought a relationship with equality and good communication, in which both partners were willing to make efforts for marriage to thrive. IV. An important step in life: Interviewees all expressed a view of marriage as a necessary step for mature men and women, but also saw marriage as a responsibility and a source of pressure, and therefore adopted an attitude of careful consideration.
Recommendations for future research are also provided, as based on the results of this study.
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