Egalitarianism Meets Confucianism: Masculinity Negotiation and  Cross-Cultural Adaptation of Swedish Male Spouses in Taiwan

Liu, Ya-Yu; Liu, Tawanini Nikie; Fai, Ng Ka; Oey, Rachel Cathleen Wijaya

Egalitarianism Meets Confucianism: Masculinity Negotiation and Cross-Cultural Adaptation of Swedish Male Spouses in Taiwan

James Alexander Gordon on 22nd January 2026

Author Information

Ya-Yu Liu, National Quemoy University, Taiwan
Tawanini Nikie Liu, National Quemoy University, Taiwan
Ng Ka Fai, National Quemoy University, Taiwan
Rachel Cathleen Wijaya Oey, National Quemoy University, Taiwan

Abstract

This study investigates the cross-cultural adaptation process of Swedish men, rooted in Nordic egalitarianism, who relocate to Taiwan, a society emphasizing Confucian ethics and relationship orientation. While existing research on marriage migration in Asia predominately focuses on Southeast Asian female marriage migrants, this study focus on Western men who despite their privileged gender status, navigate significant structural conflicts within Taiwanese kinship and social structures. Adopting Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA), interviews were conducted with five Swedish spouses residing in Taiwan through a thorough bottom-up analysis following Yardley’s criteria for validity to ensure research rigor. By integrating phenomenology with C. Wright Mills’ “sociological imagination” as a dual theoretical lens, the results reveal how participants experience structural tensions in the division of domestic labor, filial piety, and parenting. Furthermore, it explores how they reconstruct family roles, negotiate masculinity, and develop unique acculturation strategies regarding cultural conflicts. This research offers empirical insights into family sociology, examining how Nordic values resonate with Taiwanese family concepts, thereby enriching cross-cultural dialogue from the perspective of global citizenship.