Abstract
This paper examines the relations of mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law in a Taiwanese village that has changed over the past 25 years from an economic system based primarily on agriculture to one founded predominantly on off-farm employment. Using ethnographic data, it explores Amoss and Harrell's (1980: 5) proposition that the position of old people is a function of a ‘cost/contribution balance’ compounded by resources controlled. It concludes that economic development shifts power between women in different generations.
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Research for this paper was carried out in collaboration with Bernard Gallin, whose insights have helped me immeasurably. We acknowledge with thanks the organizations that provided financial assistance over the years and made our field trips to Taiwan possible. Specifically, funding was provided by a Foreign Area Training Fellowship, a Fullbright-Hays research grant, the Asian Studies Center at Michigan State University, the Mid-West Universities Consortium for International Activities, the Social Sciences Research Council, and the Pacific Cultural Foundation.
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Gallin, R.S. Mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law: Intergenerational relations within the Chinese family in Taiwan. J Cross-Cultural Gerontol 1, 31–49 (1986). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00116017
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00116017