婚姻作為形象策略—以第十一屆女性立法委員為例

Abstract

隨著台灣女性政治參與的提升，女性立法委員的婚姻狀態與政治生涯發展總會引起關注。本研究以第11屆立法委員為研究對象，透過55份問卷調查（回收率近5成）及7名立委深度訪談，探討婚姻狀態如何成為女性立法委員的政治形象策略工具。研究發現：第一，婚姻狀況確實會影響選舉策略，並且從個人背景轉化為政治策略。有4成立委認為有伴侶能為自己的個人形象加分，4成立委認為婚姻狀況會影響選民決策，不過僅2成立委認為會影響政黨提名，這也反映出政黨是理性考量與選民情感判斷的差異。

而在策略的運用上，已婚的女性立委會採取「政治化個人經驗」策略，從單身的身份進入婚姻生活，將母親、太太的角色融入人生體驗，並移轉為政策關注重點，亦透過家庭和諧展現政治責任感。未婚的女性立委則是將單身狀態重新定義為全心投入服務的優勢，發展出自己的形象品牌，並建立自身的政治地位。

第二，女性立委需要更強的家庭支持系統。無論從伴侶支持度、父母支持度，女性立委支持度皆高於男性立委，數字差距具統計意義。從深度訪談中女性立委比男性立委擁有更豐富的家庭支持資源。研究發現家庭支持不只是幫忙做家事這麼簡單，而是女性從政的「結構性補償機制」，用來抵抗社會質疑和性別偏見的保護傘。

第三，政治認知存在性別差異。透過問卷調查與深度訪談，發現男女立委對於婚姻狀態如何影響政治生涯有截然不同的看法。女性立委基於親身經歷形成敏感認知，對性別偏見特別敏感。他們深刻體會到社會對女性政治人物採用雙重標準，如受訪者所說：「女生只要一點什麼，就會被說不行」，任何事情都可能被無限放大。男性立委則從制度角度理性客觀分析，認為時代在進步，對政治人物私生活的要求「現在沒有以前那麼高了」。他們鮮少注意到性別因素仍會影響著政治人物的評價標準。

女性立委的經驗說明，婚姻狀態確實會被拿來檢視。男性立委說「不會影響」，可能是因為社會觀念在進步，沒察覺到女性面臨的隱性障礙。男性立委觀察到的「男生要結婚女生最好單身」，正好證實了女性立委面臨的困境。不同的期待標準，反映出社會對不同性別政治人物的期待完全不一樣。

最後，女性立委面對「既要專業又要溫柔」的矛盾要求時，發展出應對的方法以適應困難的處境。儘管現在的政治制度表面上比較公平理性了，但社會大眾對男女政治人物的期待和看法還是很不一樣，性別偏見深深影響女性政治人物，他們必須努力及採取不同策略因應，才能在政治圈立足。

本研究在學術上的貢獻是首次發現立委的婚姻狀態，從個人背景資料轉換政治資源，證明女性政治人物會根據自己結婚或沒結婚來理性調整選舉策略。

As women's political participation in Taiwan has increased, the marital status and political career development of female legislators has consistently drawn attention. This study examines the 11th Legislative Yuan as its research subject, using 55 questionnaire surveys (with a response rate of nearly 50%) and in-depth interviews with 7 legislators to explore how marital status serves as a political image strategy tool for female legislators. The research findings are as follows: First, marital status does indeed influence electoral strategy and transforms from personal background into political strategy. Forty percent of legislators believe that having a partner enhances their personal image, 40% believe that marital status affects voter decision-making, though only 20% believe it influences party nomination, reflecting the difference between rational party considerations and voters' emotional judgments.

Regarding strategy implementation, married female legislators adopt a "politicization of personal experience" strategy, transitioning from single status into married life, integrating the roles of mother and wife into their life experiences and transferring these into policy focus areas, while also demonstrating political responsibility through family harmony. Unmarried female legislators redefine their single status as an advantage for wholehearted dedication to service, developing their own image brand and establishing their political position.

Second, female legislators require stronger family support systems. Whether measured by spousal support or parental support, female legislators receive higher support levels than male legislators, with statistically significant differences. In-depth interviews revealed that female legislators possess richer family support resources compared to their male counterparts. The research found that family support is not merely about helping with household chores, but serves as a "structural compensation mechanism" for women in politics, acting as a protective umbrella against social scrutiny and gender bias.

Third, political cognition exhibits gender differences. Through questionnaire surveys and in-depth interviews, the study found that male and female legislators have dramatically different views on how marital status affects political careers. Female legislators, based on personal experience, develop sensitive awareness and are particularly sensitive to gender bias. They deeply understand that society applies double standards to female politicians, as one interviewee stated: "Women face criticism for the slightest thing," where any issue can be infinitely magnified. Male legislators analyze rationally and objectively from an institutional perspective, believing that times have progressed and requirements for politicians' private lives are "not as high as before." They rarely notice that gender factors still influence the evaluation standards for politicians.

The experiences of female legislators demonstrate that marital status is indeed scrutinized. When male legislators say "it won't affect," it may be because social attitudes are progressing and they haven't noticed the hidden barriers women face. The observation by male legislators that "men should get married while women are better off single" precisely confirms the dilemma faced by female legislators. These different expectation standards reflect that society has completely different expectations for politicians of different genders.

Finally, when female legislators face the contradictory demands of being "both professional and gentle," they develop various coping strategies to adapt to this difficult situation. Although current political institutions appear more fair and rational on the surface, public expectations and perceptions of male and female politicians remain very different. Gender bias profoundly affects female politicians, who must work hard and adopt different strategies to establish themselves in the political arena.

The academic contribution of this research is the first discovery that legislators' marital status transforms from personal background information into political resources, proving that female politicians rationally adjust their electoral strategies based on whether they are married or unmarried.