During the 1980s, Western cultural influences began to penetrate and influence changes in Taiwanese culture. Noticeable among the many cultural changes has been the emergence of feminism. As a consequence, women have begun to question the absolute need to marry and the plausibility of rearing children out of wedlock. During this period, the number of single mothers has gradually increased. Currently in Taiwan, 10% of Taiwanese families are single families. Approximately 60% of single families are single mothers. In 2000, 10.5% of single families lived below the poverty line, which was 2-3 times that of two-parent families. Among single families, 38.9% of single mothers are unemployed compared with 18.7% of single fathers (Taiwan Department of Statistics 2012).
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