本文首先簡介Veevers(1988)的可婚指標,並且分析性別比率在解釋中高年齡者擇偶機會時較可婚指標易令人產生誤判。其次,本文比較2008的年「台北市與台東縣」和「高雄市與花蓮縣」男女可婚指標發現都會區「年輕男性」的擇偶機會低於鄉區,但是都會區「年長男性」的擇偶機會高於鄉區。然而,不論「年輕」或「年長」,都會區女性的擇偶機會皆低於鄉區。第三,在以「全國」可婚指標代表「鄉區」的分析中,本文比較2000與2012年「可婚指標高低變化」發現近期可婚指標城鄉差距已拉近。但是就性別而言,擇偶機會在城鄉皆有男降女升的趨勢。最後,本文「擇偶錯時」的操作性定義為「初婚年齡減可婚指標高峰年齡的差距」,此差距(正值)愈大愈不利於擇偶。研究發現近期男性較女性不易發生「擇偶錯時」而且鄉區女性又較都會區女性不易發生「擇偶錯時」。換言之,整體女性的可婚指標雖然近期有上升的趨勢,但受益者可能不是都會區女性。都會區女性比過去更易錯失在可婚指標高峰年齡時擇偶(擇偶錯時),因此其中高年齡層的完婚率不見得會因為近期可婚指標的上升而提高。
The present study firstly introduces Veevers (1988) "availability index" and explain why it is better than "sex ratio", especially explaining the marriage opportunity of elder men and women. Secondly, comparing the index of "Taipei city and Taitung county" and "Kaohsiung city and Hualien county", the marriage opportunity of young men in urban is lower than in rural area, but the opportunity of elder men in urban is higher than in rural area. However, for either young or elder, urban women' marriage opportunity is lower than rural women'. Thirdly, comparing the index of 2000 and 2012, the gap of marriage opportunity between urban and rural area is reducing. Meanwhile, men' marriage opportunity is slightly falling and women' is rising. Finally, "Miss Mating Timing" (MMT) is defined as "the period between the average age of first marriage and the age of highest availability index". The higher MMT the more disadvantage of mate selection. The study found that recently Taiwanese women still keep "missing" mating timing. Meanwhile, urban women' MMT is larger than rural women'. In other words, although the entail availability index of women is rising but may only benefit for rural women, because urban women often miss high-marriage- opportunity when they are young.