Thu, May 13, 2010 page2

• Media, policies blamed for immigrant stereotypes

  UNHELPFUL LABELS After three years studying the academic performance of children born to immigrant spouses, an academic found the stereotypes inaccurate

  • By Loa Iok-sin / STAFF REPORTER
  • • 
    • 
    • 

  Biased media reports and national policies are sources of stereotypes leading to wide-spread discrimination against immigrant spouses from Southeast Asia and their children, Chen Yu-wen (陳毓文), a social works professor at National Taiwan University said yesterday.

  Chen made her observation while recommending the government stop ethnicity-based welfare policies after conducting research commissioned by the National Science Council (NSC) on whether children of Southeast Asian immigrant spouses learn more slowly and are academically weaker.

  Chen studied more than 1,000 children of immigrant spouses — as well as their parents and teachers — in elementary and junior high schools across the country for a period of three years from 2006 to 2008.

  “Many people think that Taiwanese who marry Southeast Asians are of lower social and economic status, older or physically challenged. They think immigrant spouses come to Taiwan because they want money,” Chen said at a press conference at the NSC headquarters in Taipei yesterday.

  “So they think, naturally, children of these immigrant spouses are not as smart and do not perform as well academically,” Chen added.

  However, results from Chen’s research proved otherwise.

  “Children of immigrant spouses and children whose both parents are Taiwanese perform at more or less the same level academically, with some children of immigrant spouses showing outstanding academic performance,” Chen said. “Many people say children of immigrant spouses are not good at composition and think it may be because their immigrant parents don’t know Chinese that well. Well, if you think about it, don’t we also complain that children [whose both parents are Taiwanese] are getting worse and worse at composition?”

  Chen said that biased media reports and government policies may have helped to maintain such stereotypes.

  She said that, when reporting “problems” facing children of immigrant spouses, media outlets often forget to compare them to children whose parents are both Taiwanese.

  “Government authorities often single out families with immigrant spouses to create special welfare programs — this is a type of brainwashing that creates the impression that immigrant spouses and their children are not as good, and they are the ones who need help,” Chen told the news conference.

  “But the fact is that immigrant spouses and their children are just like everyone else, and there are also non-immigrant spouses and children who need government assistance,” Chen added.

  In fact, most teachers told Chen during interviews that because of media reports they often feel more worried about children of immigrant spouses, “but the actual experience often proves otherwise,” she said.

  Such negative stereotypes would, in many cases, spark discriminatory remarks from immigrant children’s peers, such as telling them to “go back to Indonesia” or calling them “Filipino servants” or “Thai workers.”

  Chen therefore urged the media to refrain from over-generalizations when reporting on immigrant spouses and their children. She also called on the government to develop needs-based welfare programs instead of ethnicity-based ones.
• Most Popular

  • 1

    Bologna advance to face AC Milan in Coppa final

  • 2

    Taiwan ranked as the cheapest travel destination

  • 3

    Wolves hold off Lakers 116-104 to take series lead

  • 4

    Taiwan in Time: Taiwan’s first high school for Taiwanese students

  • 5

    Taiwan would benefit from integrated theater: expert