If you want to destroy the patriarchy, try flooding the country with more men than women.
April 15, 2026
Original Paper
Cultural Crossroads: Gender Roles and Family Dynamics in Post-WWII Taiwan
SSRN · 6571890
The Takeaway
It sounds backwards—usually, a male-heavy population leads to more competition and more traditional, 'macho' norms. But in post-WWII Taiwan, a massive influx of men actually broke the old 'big family' structures that held the patriarchy together. Because the traditional networks were disrupted, women gained more power within their individual households, leading to more equal marriages and higher happiness. It turns out that patriarchal control relies on the pressure of an 'extended family,' and when that breaks, women can negotiate a better deal for themselves. It suggests social progress can come from the most unexpected demographic shocks.
From the abstract
The 1949 retreat of the Kuomintang (KMT) brought 1.2 million refugees to Taiwan, increasing the island’s population by nearly 20 percent within a few years. Because roughly 80 percent of these migrants were men and settlement was spatially concentrated in military dependents’ villages (Juancun), this episode generated a sudden, male-biased demographic shock. Exploiting the temporal concentration and geographic distribution of Juancun settlements, this paper examines how exposure to this migratio