客家女性與性別研究之於客家研究的重要性，在於其有助於建構一個完整的 客家特性，並讓人得以了解客家族群。然而，如此觀點並非因為客家女性鑲嵌 在「美德」與「勞動」中的形象突出，而是需要理解在族群或族群研究中看見性 別，其意義為何？再則，雖然在2000年後，台灣客家女性與性別研究已有多元 異質的展現，客家女性不再被束縛在本質化的族群牢籠中，也被「看見」了，但 是主要問題在於「怎麼看」？本文首先從性別、族群認同與文化建構之間的關 係，了解客家女性為何及如何在男性學者書寫下成為「他者」。其次，1990年代 出現的批判性觀點轉化了客家女性的意義，同時呈現理解客家女性性別角色與地 位的多重觀點。本文認為目前台灣客家女性與性別研究在議題、觀點與方法上已 多有擴展，同質的客家女性形象因而解構，同時建構出具有能動性與主體性的客 家女性形象。然而，從博物館展覽、媒體論述和一般人看法中，仍可看到客家女 性被同質化的現象。因此，應再回到本文的問題意識「怎麼看」，方是認識與理 解性別、族群與文化之開端。

Hakka women and gender studies are important to Hakka studies, for complete Hakka characteristics are therewith built and the characteristics of Hakka people can be thereby recognized. However, this is not to say that the image of Hakka women which is enshrined as “virtue” and “hard labor” should be denied, but rather it is of significance to know why we need to comprehend how gender is visible in ethnicity or in study of ethnicity. Moreover, multiple approaches to and perspectives on Hakka women and gender studies in Taiwan have been illustrated since 000; Hakka women are freed from a homogenized ethnic jail, and are authentically “seen”. But the question that remains is “how” Hakka women are seen. This study first looks at the relationships among gender, ethnic identity and construction of culture, and then attempts to understand why and how Hakka women became “the Other” in male scholars’ writings and research. Secondly, critical viewpoints which emerged in the 1 0s have transformed the meaning of Hakka women; the gender roles and statuses of Hakka women have been tackled simultaneously in a variety of approaches and points of view. Essentialized pictures of Hakka women have been deconstructed. Instead, the agency and subjectivity of Hakka women have been demonstrated. Notwithstanding such a change, Hakka women are still homogenized in museum exhibitions, media representations, and general views of the public. The author thus argues that we ought to pursue the idea of “how to” understand Hakka women, for it inaugurates our comprehension of gender, ethnicity and culture.