從臺灣農村民宿女主人談農村婦女的生命經驗與賦權

Abstract

臺灣農業轉型與休閒農業發展的過程中，部份農民成為民宿經營者。觀察這些新興的農村民宿，發現擔任女主人的農村婦女是打造民宿特色的重要元素，她們的母親形象與地方料理為民宿帶來獨有的吸引力。相較於婦女在傳統農業社會中擔任男性輔助者的角色，女主人甚至成為民宿的主要經營者。 然而，當民宿經營工作與家務勞動工作之間存在高度的相似性，農村婦女是否能夠透過民宿經營獲得賦權的可能？民宿工作與家務勞動的相似性是否為賦權帶來矛盾張力？本研究以民宿女主人為主體，透過訪談與田野觀察，瞭解並分析從傳統農村婦女到民宿女主人之身份轉變過程為她們帶來的生命經驗，藉由討論民宿的空間和產業特質，以及女主人的角色和工作，試圖發現其中賦權的意義。 研究結果發現，透過民宿經營讓農村婦女在自我認同、自主性、與生命經驗上獲得正向的情感經驗與自我賦權的機會。儘管民宿經營確實強化農村婦女的母職角色，亦為農村婦女帶來長時間的情緒勞動。然而，因民宿改變家屋生活空間、引進遊客、增加農家收入之結果，對於女主人而言，家務勞動同時產生新的意義。例如，在勞動的過程中得到發揮主體性與拓展生命經驗的機會，並且從看不見的輔助者轉變為重要的經營者。農村婦女的民宿經營鬆動了視母職或家庭視為純然限制女性之觀點，同時提供了複雜的案例，讓我們重新思考農村婦女賦權的意義與形式。

In response to the agricultural transformation, some farmers start running B&Bs in rural villages and the female hosts are usually play important roles since their images as a mother can make the B&B a warm and cozy home. These female hosts even become the main managers of their B&Bs while their husbands work as their assistants. This gender role is quite different from how it would be in a traditional agricultural society where women are seen as invisible farmers while their husbands are the master in both farms and home. However, the task of a B&B host is similar to the housework and the caring job that a housewife is expected to do. In this case, while a household space and housework are regarded as the limitation and oppression on women, would it be possible to empower these farm women by running B&Bs? In order to know and analyze these women’s life experience of becoming a B&B host from a farm woman, six B&Bs are chosen case study. By conducting in-depth interviews with the B&B hosts and field observation, this study tries to figure out the meaning of empowerment in the process of identity transition. Besides the identity and task of these female hosts, the spatial and industrial characteristics of B&Bs are all critical factors for analyzing this empowering process. According to the result of this study, running a B&B provides farm women with the chance of being empowered. Although the identity of a B&B host intensifies these women’s mothering tasks and increases their emotional labor, it gives some new meanings to the housework. These women are able to explore their subjectivity and social experience by doing the tasks of a female host. In addition, comparing with the assistant roles they played before, they are now the main managers of their B&Bs. Regarding these women’s experience, we can rethink about the idea of seeing motherhood or household space as a limitation to women. And this process of identity transformation is also a good case for discussing the meaning of empowerment with multiple and complicated perspectives.