Abstract
Taiwan’s manufacturing has moved to China since late 1980s. There are hundreds of thousands Taiwanese work in China nowadays. Among them, there is an increasing number of Taiwanese women. However, existing research on expatriate Taiwanese women in China tend to focus on their social and intimate life. Their migratory intention for work is often neglected. This study is to explore the working experiences of expatriate Taiwanese women in China and the influences of their working life on their social life. I will pay special attention to how the intersections of gender, nationality, and class shape their experiences. By interview 13 Taiwanese female employees who work at factories in Guangzhou, China, this research finds that expatriate Taiwanese women simultaneously locate at superior and subordinated positions in relations to their Chinese and Taiwanese colleagues in China. As expatriate Taiwanese managers in Taiwanese firms, Taiwanese women often have more managerial power than their Chinese colleagues but they are likely to feel gender and national insecurities facing Chinese subordinates. In their relations to Taiwanese male colleagues, they are gender minority in the workplaces. Taiwanese women draw gender, national, and class performances and boundaries to maintain their day-to-day activities and identity in China.