Title

Family Division, Inheritance and Parents’ Supporting System: A Case Study in Southern Taiwan Rural Village

Author

Hsiang-shui Chern

Genre

Article  

Pages

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Key words

Family Division, Inheritance, Meal Rotation, Rural Taiwan

Abstract

      In this study the author tries to analyse the family division, inheritance and family supporting system to the parents in a rapidly changing rural Taiwan village.Several findings can be summarized as follows: 1. family division, in most cases, occurred not at the death of the fathers but afterall the sons get married, or even only some of them are married, under fathers’ own will or sons’ request. However, many parents still maintain the titles as land owners. 2. Although according to the civil law the daughters have rights to inherit the family pro perty, this is seldom happened in the village. Dowry is still considered to be the only share the daughters can have. If a woman make a request to inherit the property, it will detrimental to the family’s harmony. 3. “Quarrelsomeness” of daughters-in-law was once regarded as a reason of family division is hardly seen today because many young people live in the cities. More than two daughters-in-law live under the same roof is rare. 4. Meal-rotation is still the most popular supporting system adopted in the village to support the parents. But due to the rapid development of industrializati on many young generation move out to the cities, it has been decreased now. Many older parents would like to cook by themselves because it is free from sons and daughters-in-law’s control, especially when the electric cooking facilities are so widely used today.