Abstract
Taiwan is experiencing rapid population aging. The dependency ratio between working-age person and aged citizen is increasing dramatically. The ratio is predicted to rise to more than 45% by the mid-2030s. This means every three working-age persons will have to support one aged citizen by then. In addition to the potential economic burden, family members’ employment situations make it difficult to offer home-based care to their elders. Long-term elder care has become an urgent issue socially, economically, and politically in Taiwan. Responding to this social and economic demand, the government initiated a foreign live-in caregiver program in 1992. As of 2021, foreign live-in caregivers—mostly from the Philippines, Vietnam, and Indonesia—make up a large share of the more than 700,000 migrant workers in Taiwan. These caregivers usually sign 3-year contracts at a time and, therefore, become a quasi-member of the family. New patterns of family dynamics as well as social interaction ensue. Oscillating between the two ends of the continuum of cultural convergence and cultural hybridization, one can observe the emergence as well as the resistance of multiculturalism within the family unit and in society in general. This study examines how media reflect and cover this new social phenomenon in Taiwan and their potential in shaping public opinion of foreign workers and multiculturalism in Taiwan.
Presenters
Shu Ling Chen BerggreenAssociate Professor, Media Studies, University of Colorado-Boulder, Colorado, United States
Details
Presentation Type
Theme
Vectors of Society and Culture
KEYWORDS
MEDIA, NEWS CONVENTIONS, GLOBALIZATION, MIGRATIONS, CULTURAL CONVERGENCE, CULTURAL HYBRIDIZATION
