As most scientific fields on the island, especially engineering, are dominated by males, Kuo Chia-chen, thirty-two, is in the minority in her occupation. She has worked as an associate research scientist at the National Center for High-perform ance Computing, a research institute in the Hsinchu Science-based Industrial Park under the National Science Council. Full of stamina and enthusiasm about her job, Kuo is currently leading a twelve-member team responsible for Taiwan's first water resources information center. Kuo is one of three women on the team, the other two being an accountant and a project assistant.
A married woman, Kuo is not disappointed with the current stage of Taiwanese women's social status, though she still sees a legacy of sexual discrimination.
I've been working for about seven years since obtaining a master's degree from the College of Engineering at National Cheng Kung University. I'd been at the Industrial Technology Research Institute [ITRI] in Chutung, and then about three years ago I began working here. Last July the Bureau of Water Resources under the Ministry of Economic Affairs [MOEA] commissioned the National Science Council to conduct a project to establish Taiwan's first information center for water resources. A project team, including some professors with Ph.D. degrees, was formed. I feel lucky to have been chosen as the team's leader because I'm quite young for such a position.
I've been married for over four years, and I have a two-year-old daughter. She's now taken care of by a babysitter in the daytime, when both my husband and I are at work. We usually have to work overtime and eat out for dinner--I cook meals with my husband at home only on Saturdays and Sundays, for something really nutritious for our daughter. My husband works in his office on weeknights because he's used to it, while I keep working at home and look after our child at the same time.
Still, I think I should spend more time with my daughter. On the other hand, I have read some articles that argue that working women's children can learn how to be independent early in life. There's nothing wrong with this kind of independence--sometimes we should think about the issue of raising children from this angle.
I understand that it's necessary for working people to take a rest. Have you ever heard of deaths resulting from a heavy workload? In fact, I'm quite fun-loving, and I'm not a bookworm. I like traveling to foreign countries and it's great that in recent months I've had several chances to go abroad on business. I like dancing and listening to music, too--especially rock, mainly because of my husband's influence. He likes different kinds of music and we have a pile of CDs at home. Today we still go out to enjoy jazz and classical music. We take our daughter with us.
At the same time, I'm very interested in my work. You know, calls for setting up an information center for water re sources were heard as early as twenty years ago. Today, we will eventually have a director of the Bureau of Water Resources to realize this project. This is a hard-to-find opportunity and I don't expect personal benefits from this mission--I'm just glad that I can participate in it. Some people are chosen as astronauts to explore outer space. They see it as an honorable duty, though it is actually quite dangerous. I think I will be able to comprehend, gradually, the noble feelings these people have.
I don't mean to suggest that I'm always so idealistic. There are times when I can be materialistic. But I think people should learn to grow in new ways. I often feel modern Taiwanese people don't care about anything but what they can get in reward for what they do. That's really sad. Some foreigners I know are different. Once I asked an American friend why he chose to study oceanography, and he answered, "Because I care about ocean life and therefore environmental protection for the ocean." They have guiding ideals in their lives.
In the past year, I've learned a lot in the process of conducting a plan that actually involves social and natural scientific efforts. I have read some articles on managerial skills and a book about the politics of water-resource management.
In the meantime, as a team leader, I tend to quicken the pace of the team because of the pressure I feel over the project's deadline and meeting demands from the MOEA. We must report our progress to a steering committee every month. I was sorry when some team members recently felt so much pressure that they concluded the project was not right for them, and quit. I didn't try to keep them on the team, even though some people thought I should have for the sake of keeping good interpersonal relations. Still, I give our mission top priority. As to other questions, they can be taken care of later.
Do I feel discriminated against at work because I'm a female? I don't have any particular feelings about this. I think the superiors in my workplace judge subordinates by their performance, not by their gender. Maybe sex differences are compara tively obvious among equals. For example, sometimes when dining out, we naturally split into two groups, with males at one table and females at the other. Also, there are times when I feel men prefer "obedient" and "stupid" girls. Tough girls are not welcome. Anyway, this is how I feel. Maybe I'm too sensitive.
At present, the misconception that boys are better than girls is still prevalent in Taiwan's society. Even parents of my generation prefer boys over girls. My husband and I don't, but when I gave birth to a girl, many of my colleagues asked, "Why didn't you have a boy?"--as if I should be blamed for not having one. Aren't girls your children too? Moreover, I think girls are closer to their parents. My husband believes so as well. But you know, most married women--even those who have received higher education--feel a sense of security by having a boy. They think the notion is wrong, but in the end they fall under its influence. I feel sorry about this.
On the other hand, in comparison with Japan and even the United States, I think Taiwan is more advanced as far as the rights of working women are concerned. You know, in Japan the starting salary of women is lower than that of men, even if their educational backgrounds are equal. I think part of the credit for the rise of the status of Taiwanese women should go to Sisy Chen, the former director of the Department of Culture and Information of the DPP [the largest opposition party on the island]. She is quick and smart, and her performance indicates how able a woman can be.
Today, Taiwanese men know they should learn to respect women. They've made good progress [laugh]. But I'm not sure whether this is the case at every level of society. Anyway, Taiwan has come a long way in this regard, considering how long patriarchy has prevailed in Chinese society. Now it's the freest place in the world [laugh]--at least, it's not any worse than Western countries.