The number of marriages between older women and younger men has surged to a 10-year high in Taiwan, with about two out of 10 marriages since the end of last year involving such couples, government statistics showed.
Ministry of the Interior statistics showed that the percentage of such marriages in the nation was 18.2 percent at the end of last year, increasing noticeably from 14.6 percent in 1997.
However, last year’s figure lagged behind Japan’s 24.3 percent and Hong Kong’s 20.1 percent, but was ahead of Singapore’s 17.9 percent.
The phenomenon can be attributed to several factors, ministry officials said.
The fading of the conventional wisdom that “a man must marry a woman younger than himself” and the increased awareness among women of their rights can be factored in, they said.
The increasing tendency to get married later in life, or not to get married at all, which might be due to the sluggish economic climate, have also indirectly led to the rise of such marriages, the ministry said.
Women who get married later in life can choose their spouses from a wider range of men, resulting in more couples in which the woman is older, it said.
From the perspective of life expectancy, a man marrying an older woman seems to provide a guarantee for the couple to spend the rest of their lives together, they said.
It is widely believed that the growing popularity of such marriages is mainly due to women’s improved economic independence, a social scientist said.
A woman who is economically independent can pursue equality in a romantic relationship, an objective that is easier for them to obtain with younger men who can be more unconventional and more tolerant of their spouse’s age or appearance, the social scientist said.
‘JOINT SWORD’: Whatever President Lai says in his Double Ten speech, China would use it as a pretext to launch ‘punishment’ drills for his ‘separatist’ views, an official said China is likely to launch military drills this week near Taiwan, using President William Lai’s (賴清德) upcoming national day speech as a pretext to pressure the nation to accept its sovereignty claims, Taiwanese officials said. China in May launched “punishment” drills around Taiwan shortly after Lai’s inauguration, in what Beijing said was a response to “separatist acts,” sending heavily armed warplanes and staging mock attacks as state media denounced newly inaugurated Lai. The May drills were dubbed “Joint Sword — 2024A” and drew concerns from capitals, including Washington. Lai is to deliver a key speech on Thursday in front of the Presidential Office
Taiwan was listed in 14th place among the world's wealthiest country in terms of GDP per capita, in the latest rankings released on Monday by Forbes magazine. Taiwan's GDP per capita was US$76,860, which put it at No. 14 on the list of the World's 100 Richest Countries this year, one spot above Hong Kong with US$75,130. The magazine's list of the richest countries in the world is compiled based on GDP per capita data, as estimated by the IMF. However, for a more precise measure of a nation's wealth, the magazine also considers purchasing power parity, which is a metric used to
Taipei’s Ximending (西門町) shopping area welcomed the most international visitors, followed by Taipei 101, Songshan Cultural and Creative Park and Yangmingshan National Park (陽明山國家公園), a list of the city’s most popular tourist attractions published by the Taipei Department of Information and Tourism showed. As of August, 69.22 million people had visited Taipei’s main tourism spots, a 76 percent increase from 39.33 million in the same period last year, department data showed. Ximending had 20.21 million visitors, followed by Taipei 101 at 8.09 million, Songshan Cultural and Creative Park at 6.28 million, Yangmingshan at 4.51 million and the Red House Theater (西門紅樓) in
NINTH MONTH: There were 11,792 births in Taiwan last month and 15,563 deaths, or a mortality rate of 8.11 per 1,000 people, household registration data showed Taiwan’s population was 23,404,138 as of last month, down 2,470 from August, the ninth consecutive month this year that the nation has reported a drop, the Ministry of the Interior said on Wednesday. The population last month was 162 fewer than the same month last year, a decline of 0.44 per day, the ministry said, citing household registration data. Taiwan reported 11,792 births last month, or 3.7 births per day, up 149 from August, it said, adding that the monthly birthrate was 6.15 per 1,000 people. The jurisdictions with the highest birthrates were Yunlin County at 14.62 per 1,000 people, Penghu County (8.61
RSS