As Taiwan confronts the dual crises of a plunging birthrate and a rapidly aging population, public debate has largely centered on “hard infrastructure” measures: Childcare subsidies, parental leave and housing support. While necessary, these measures only address the surface of a deeper challenge. To truly stabilize society against demographic decline, Taiwan must invest in a long-overlooked form of social infrastructure: family resilience.
Family resilience is not a private emotional matter. It is a public good that determines whether a household can absorb pressure, adapt to change and remain functional under stress.
Taiwan’s social safety net is heavily reactive. In the past few years, the government has expanded mental health services and crisis intervention programs. These efforts are essential, but they operate only after families have reached a breaking point.
The social cost of this model is mounting. With domestic violence and youth mental health crises reaching record levels, we are spending enormous resources extinguishing fires while neglecting the “fireproofing” of the home. Most families do not lack love or responsibility, they lack the practical skills of emotional literacy, stress regulation and constructive communication. Without these skills, financial assistance alone cannot prevent family erosion.
If Taiwan is serious about its future, prevention must become an institutional priority. As the government restructures family support systems, we have a historic opportunity to embed resilience into the heart of public policy. This requires moving beyond parental subsidies to investing in parental capacity through three pillars:
Parental emotional education: Caregivers today face unprecedented pressure from economic uncertainty and multi-generational care. Without tools to process stress, even well-intentioned parents risk burnout and secondary trauma.
Relational competence: Healthy communication and conflict resolution are not innate abilities; they are skills that must be supported. Strengthening these reduces divorce rates and emotional neglect.
Intergenerational support: Taiwan’s “sandwich generation” — those caring for both children and aging parents — needs a policy that acknowledges caregiving as a shared social value rather than a private burden.
Implementation must be decentralized. Family resilience should be cultivated where people already gather: school parent associations, community centers and workplace programs. By embedding support into familiar settings, we increase participation and decrease the stigma associated with seeking help.
As Taiwan expands its family support workforce, training must evolve. Professionals should not function merely as administrators of aid, but as facilitators of resilience. Emotional awareness and family systems theory should be core competencies, enabling intervention before a domestic issue turns into a national crisis.
Family resilience generates public benefits — better educational outcomes, lower healthcare utilization and higher workforce productivity. It forms the invisible infrastructure that holds a nation together during periods of demographic stress.
National security is often framed in terms of military readiness or economic competitiveness. A nation’s strength ultimately depends on the stability of its smallest units. When families collapse, social fragmentation follows.
The question is no longer whether we can afford to invest in the emotional health of families. The real question is whether we can afford not to. Family resilience is a strategic imperative — one that deserves a central place in Taiwan’s vision for long-term national security.
Lin Chia-hui is the CEO of the Jen & Lin Education Foundation.
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