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Family Poverty in Taiwan

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The Family and Social Change in Chinese Societies

Part of the book series: The Springer Series on Demographic Methods and Population Analysis ((PSDE,volume 35))

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Abstract

In recent years, media outlets have reported the hardships of people having difficulties financially supporting themselves. The problem of poverty is widely discussed in newspapers and magazines, and new ideas and viewpoints have emerged. The published figures regarding poverty in Taiwan, while continuously increasing, seem to vary greatly, with poverty rates of 0.7 %, 5 %, 7 %, and 58 % being reported. The fact that these statistics are all higher than or equal to, the 0.7 % figure announced by the Taiwan government, is cause for concern among experts and scholars who study poverty in Taiwan. Why is the official poverty rate so low; does it misrepresent the true extent of poverty? This question has prompted discussion among scholars who want to know how to obtain a representative poverty line that takes into account the budget standards of household demand.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. National Chung Cheng University, Chiayi, Taiwan, ROC

    Te-mu Wang

  2. National Pingtung University of Science and Technology, Pingtung, Taiwan, ROC

    Hua-chin Ho

Authors
  1. Te-mu Wang
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  2. Hua-chin Ho
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Correspondence to Hua-chin Ho .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Sociology, Texas A & M University, College Station, Texas, USA

    Dudley L. Poston, Jr.

  2. Academia Sinica Inst. Social Sciences & Philosophy, Nankang, Taipei, Taiwan

    Wen Shan Yang

  3. Department of Behavioral Sciences, University of West Alabama, Livingston, Alabama, USA

    Demetrea Nicole Farris

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Wang, Tm., Ho, Hc. (2014). Family Poverty in Taiwan. In: Poston, Jr., D., Yang, W., Farris, D. (eds) The Family and Social Change in Chinese Societies. The Springer Series on Demographic Methods and Population Analysis, vol 35. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-7445-2_3

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