Lee Yuan-Chen married her husband during the time she taught at Tamkang University. Initially, Lee Yuan-Chen and her husband had reached a consensus that they would function as a modern couple with the implication of having an egalitarian relationship. However, that consensus was eroded after the birth of their first daughter, as Lee Yuan-Chen's husband demanded her to live with his parents. Lee Yuan-Chen felt forced into a lifestyle that was contradictory to her beliefs and divorced her husband in 1973. Due to the law of the Republic of China at that period of time, custody of her child was granted to the husband. Lee Yuan-Chen was deeply frustrated with this result.
