It would appear that males and females would be divided as night and day over the question of gender relations. But is gender the predominant factor in creating either male or female chauvinism?

In order to understand the views ordinary people have on sexual violation specifically and gender relations in general, Sinorama held a telephone survey at the end of January, one month after the murder of feminine activist Peng Wanju, questioning 433 people at least 18 years old in Taipei County and Taipei City. The results showed that, except for the question of how serious the problem of sexual violation is, there were no distinct differences in viewpoint between the men and women interviewed, including who they felt must be held responsible in incidents of sexual abuse, or even the distribution of familial authority. Differences did appear, however, among interviewees of different educational levels.

A worrisome, serious problem

First, take for example the issue of the seriousness of sexual violation. According to estimates, about one out of every hundred working women have been sexually abused, and according to the survey of our magazine, nearly 15% of interviewees have heard of rapes or unsuccessful attempted rapes happening to their relatives or friends. Three out of four felt that the problem of sexual violation was serious. One out of two females thought that this question was not only serious but very serious. Compared to the reaction of females, males displayed an obviously lower degree of sensitivity and fear concerning this issue. But except for this point, there was not much difference between the cognition of females and males about the problem of sexual violation.

Whenever this kind of case comes to public light, the issues of victims, perpetrators, and the circumstances surrounding such crimes becomes the focus of attention, and it was in this context that we discussed the issue of responsibility. We discovered that, as one would expect, interviewees believed the perpetrators bore the greatest responsibility. The circumstances surrounding the crime carried a secondary blame, and the victims carried the least amount of responsibility. However, one tenth of the people thought that this was not the central point; the basic causes were the trends of society and education.

Perpetrators the focus of blame

Sixtyseven percent of interviewees believed that perpetrators held the heaviest responsibility. And the higher the educational level of the interviewer, the greater blame they placed upon the offender. Most people, especially those with lower levels of education, attributed the act to perversion on the part of the perpetrator. Twentyfive percent of interviewees with higher educations also placed the blame on perversion, but generally speaking, people in this category tended to attribute the act to a lack of selfcontrol or disrespect for women.

Seventytwo percent of interviewees believed that environmental factors also lead to incidents of sexual abuse, among which alcohol and drugs were cited as the biggest culprits. As for the victims, 35% of interviewees thought the victims have to bear the greatest or secondary responsibility. Their reasons for blaming the victims were mostly that they are seen as careless, or provocatively dressed. Those interviewees with lower educational levels tended to blame the victims more. Males did not tend to blame the victims more than females.

Dividing the answers into three general categories is only useful when considering people's opinions on responsibility for the crime. In actuality, many details concerning the process of sexual violation are points of controversy. The victims are often caused additional harm when asked in courts of law to recall the details of the attacks. Sexual abuse or rape which occurs between people who are familiar with each other or during dates is particularly difficult to determine.

Does "no" mean "no"?

In terms of intimate behavior, onethird of interviewees indicated they believe that if a female is willing to be kissed and caressed, it means she is willing to have sex. Another onethird thought it depended on the situation. That is to say, only onethird of interviewees thought this was not the case. And the lower the age of the interviewees and the higher the educational level, the more they tended to think that kissing and caressing are not necessarily preludes to consensual sexual intercourse. Unexpectedly, there was no obvious difference of opinion between males and females.

Another point of controversy regarding rape is that concrete evidence is often not left behind. Whether the victim put up fierce struggle or whether related scars were left on their bodies usually determine whether or not a crime has been committed. There is yet to be a conclusive definition of what degree of resistance counts as fulfilling the "responsibility" of resisting or what kind of wounds the villains have to leave on the female to warrant his indictment. Fortyfour percent of interviewees thought that even without fierce resistance, those who are sexually violated can still count as being raped. Thirtynine percent felt the opposite. What is surprising is that males tend to think that rape counts as rape whether or not there is fierce resistance; women, however, tend to think the opposite.

The dividing line for sexual violation is very vague. Everyone probably has experienced or observed some sexual harassment to a certain degree, and opinions on this issue vary, or are even diametrically opposite, from person to person. If we combine the questions of the scope of behavior which men feel women can accept and the scope of behavior which women personally feel they are able to accept, nearly 30% of interviewees thought that sexually explicit jokes could constitute sexual harassment. About 70% thought that physical contact, for example a pat on the bottom or hugging, could be forms of sexual harassment. On this point, there was no differentiation between men and women either.

When confronted with sexual harassment, 30% of female interviewees would get angry and yell at the offending party. Ten percent of females would slap the person's face. Over 20% answered they would mildly avoid or gently reject him. Less than two percent answered they would stoically put up with unwanted advances. Males tend to advise females close to them to respond with mild rejection (30% chose this answer); however, 20% put forward some other resolution, such as calling the police, suing the perpetrator or telling one's relatives. Seventeen percent thought it depended on the situation and the person involved. A higher proportion of interviewees under the age of 40 opted for yelling or slapping the offender in the face.

Who holds the financial power?

Let's turn our inquiry to families, where adult females and males have the closest interaction. From the distribution of power and responsibility in families, we can have a glimpse at the degree to which women actually enjoy rights. Similarly to the previous portion of the survey, the difference of opinions among people with different educational levels is conspicuous. In the families of interviewees with higher educations, women tend to have greater rights.

The most crucial aspect of familial power is financial power. Our survey indicates that about half of all families derive their principal sources of income from the earnings of both male and female members, and about half of all families derive their principal sources of income from the earnings of only male members. Very few families derive their income solely from the earnings of a woman member. But one cannot judge financial distribution simply from the source of income. If we determine power to make financial decisions based on purchasing or renting a domicile, more than 50% of married couples make decisions together. In nearly 30% of the cases, men make the decisions; only 14% of interviewees stated that it was the woman who made the decision. This indicates that half of married couples earn money together, and half of the married couples decide together how to spend their money. Those who pull in the money do not necessarily possess the right to decide how it is apportioned.

Housework still women's business

Financial power has gradually loosened, and the increase of doubleincome families is the conspicuous trend of the times. Since housewives have gained steady employment, new conflicts about who should do the housework have consequently arisen. Eightyfive percent of interviewees thought that wives spent more time on house chores. Ten percent stated they shared equal loads. Less than 3% of interviewees responded that husbands spend the most time on household chores, only a little higher than those whose maids or parents do.

As for the question of children's education, it appears that parents' associations in schools at all levels are dominated by men. Yet fathers seem disinclined to attend the meetings which deal with students most intimately-the socalled "mother and elder sister meetings"-probably due to the names. Is it true that children's scholastic affairs can be divided into categories? How then can parents distinguish these matters to be big or little, public or domestic in nature? If not divided according to the nature of the decision, the proportion of decisions made by wives or by both husbands and wives was more than 40%. In less than 10% of households were these decisions made by the husbands.

When work and household chores are finished, and the kids are out on holiday, many families will go traveling. Sixty percent of families decide together where to go. Eighteen percent of the time, this decision is made by husbands, 16% of the time by wives.

Nowadays, the status of females is amply different from before; nevertheless, how many people in society can accept the situation where women go back to their homes on New Year's Eve? Half of the interviewees could accept it; about 37% could not. The higher the education level, the more easily they could accept it. The proportion of males and females among those who could not accept it was roughly the same.

Concerning childbirth, more than 60% said they would decide whether or not to have children together. Fifteen percent agreed they would leave it up to nature. Husbands decide 6% of the time, wives 12%.

Education is the key

As a whole, nearly half of the interviewees thought that the distribution of authority between husbands and wives in their households was equal. Thirty percent thought that the husband's share was larger. Fifteen percent thought the wife's share was larger. What is comforting is that less than 10% were not satisfied with the distribution of authority. Sixtyfive percent were very satisfied, but males were observably more satisfied than females. Three out of four males felt they were very satisfied. The level of satisfaction among females was slightly lower-less than three out of five. The root of this disparity lies in the twenty more percentage points among female interviewees who were dissatisfied with the distribution of housework.

From the incidence of sexual violation to distribution of household authority and responsibility, we find that much of the inertia under the patriarchal system is disappearing. What is most fascinating is that the disparity between the perspectives of males and females on many issues is not as great as we imagined it to be. Some figures even show that the attitudes of quite a few women leaned more toward traditional "male chauvinistic" viewpoints than those of the men. The level of education was the primary factor in determining interviewees' answers. This inquiry seems to offer a hint to society that to raise women's rights, the issue most fundamentally must be addressed at the level of education.

1.Do you believe that currently the problem of sexual violation is...

Average 20.1%

Serious 34.6%

Very serious 40.9%

Not serious 4.4%

2.If you thought you were being sexually harassed, would you...

Hit the offender 10.2%

Get angry and yell 23.4%

Gently reject the advance 25.0%

Avoid the offender 22.9%

Allow the advance 1.6%

Others 16.9%

3.Do you believe that if a female accepts the kisses and caresses of a male, this indicates she is willing to engage in sexual intercourse with him?

Yes 33.1%

No 34.3%

Other (Depending on circumstance) 32.6%

4.If a person who is being sexually violated does not put up a fierce resistance, does the assault still count as rape?

Yes 43.5%

No 39.1%

Other (Depending on circumstance) 17.4%

5.In your family, who is in charge of directing the education of your children, for instance, deciding which school your children should attend?

Decide together 43.2%

Wife 43.2%

Husband 9.3%

Other 4.2%

6.In your family, who spends the most time doing household chores?

Do them together 10.5%

Wife 84.9%

Husband 2.7%

Others (e.g., maid or parents) 1.9%

7.Can you accept the idea of going to the wife's family's home on New Year's Eve (a day when families traditionally go to the husband's home)?

Yes 51.4%

No 36.7%

Yes, with reluctance 12.0%

8.Overall, who do you feel has the greatest authority in your family?

Authority is shared 49.2%

Husband's mother or parents Authority is shared 5.8%

Wife 14.6%

Husband 30.0%

Other 0.4%

Questionnaire design: Sinorama magazine

Sample size: 433 respondents

Margin of error: *"4.7%

Confidence level: 95%

Statistical analysis: Statistical Consulting Center, Fujen Catholic University Department of Statistics

graphics by Lee Su-ling

p.32

For women, the privilege of moving about at night is often limited by concerns for safety. (photo by Hsueh Chikuang)

If you thought you were being sexually harassed, would you. . .

Do you believe that if a female accepts the kisses and caresses of a male, this indicates she is willing to engage in sexual intercourse with him?

If a person who is being sexually violated does not put up a fierce resistance, does the assault still count as rape?

In your family, who is in charge of directing the education of your children, for instance, deciding which school your children should attend?

In your family, who spends the most time doing household chores?

Can you accept the idea of going to the wife's family's home on New Year's Eve （a day when families traditionally go to the husband's home）?

Overall, who do you feel has the greatest authority in your family?