The reports of Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Kao Chia-yu (高嘉瑜) being physically abused by her then-partner shocked the nation. Many older viewers in front of the television might be wondering: “What’s wrong with the love lives of young people nowadays?” Younger viewers might be wondering: “Can love ever be trusted again?”
Taiwan’s cosmopolitan values are greatly influenced by the Western media. These influences have borne plenty of fruit in the realm of social justice and in the battle for gender equality, which has gotten the nation noticed on the international stage.
With the rise of the “Internet generation,” who came of age during Taiwan’s era of cosmopolitan values, Taiwan has broken with many traditional viewpoints over the past decade, especially regarding marriage and young people.
Young couples increasingly choose to “live together,” without the intention of marrying. This new “norm” has not come up with a definitive answer for the question of “Where does love lead to eventually?” In an era that values individualism, can the freedom of living as a single person with romantic partners sustain Taiwan as a community?
Many young people, like me, might question the need to marry, given Taiwan’s high cost of living and the family issues that accompany marriage.
However, fewer people seem to have thought deeply about or questioned the purpose of “not marrying.”
The Western concept of marriage is rooted in long-standing Christian values. Catholics call it “holy matrimony” to signify the value that they place on marriage, but with the decline of Christianity among the younger generation, views on marriage have also seen rapid change.
If we take a look outside Taiwan, New Zealand is perhaps the most liberal Anglophone country when it comes to legalizing “partnerships” of same or opposite-sex couples without the need for marriage. According to the government Web portal Stats NZ, romantic relationships outside of marriage have not shown a decrease in legal separations or domestic abuse.
This is an era when marriage is no longer a relationship of unbreakable “holy ground.” As that Taiwanese saying goes: “A happy marriage is 0.5 + 0.5 = 1.” Two people must give up a big part of themselves to unify as one in a relationship.
Committing to a partnership outside the obligation of marriage seems to be a good way to “pick and choose” what best suits each partner. In an age of individualism, this can do no harm.
Downplaying the necessity of marriage in adult life is a new experience in Taiwanese society. Psychological studies have shown that being in a stable relationship with an intimate partner can maximize well-being in older age. In an era when marriage has become nothing more than a signed legal document, people should ask themselves: Can partnerships replace marriage as what sustains a liberalized Taiwanese society, given the complex reality of human nature?
Ichen Sun is a musician and researcher at the University of Auckland.
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