A book about 15 women employed in science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields was published by the Cabinet’s Department of Gender Equality Oct. 11, highlighting Taiwan’s commitment to tackling gender stereotypes in the workplace.
“Fifteen Role Models for Women and Girls in STEM,” available on the website of the Cabinet’s Gender Equality Committee as a Chinese language e-book, tells the success stories of female entrepreneurs, R&D engineers and scholars from Taiwan, Chile, Kenya, New Zealand, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam.
DGE Director-General Wu Hsiu-chen said the book is aimed at raising awareness about equality in the workplace and encouraging women and girls to pursue careers in areas traditionally dominated by men. The department is planning to produce an English version and offer it through the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation’s website, she added.
Some of the women who feature in the book include Anne Yang, who works as a principle project manager at Microsoft Taiwan; Wu Chia-li, emeritus professor of chemistry at New Taipei City-based Tamkang University; and Nguyen Thanh Phuong, co-founder of Fablab Hanoi, a startup incubator in Vietnam.
The government has long prioritized getting more women in Taiwan into STEM education programs and jobs. It has also worked to advance gender equality throughout the region under the APEC Policy Partnership on Women and the Economy launched in 2013.
As part of these efforts, the DGE compiled an APEC report in 2017 on how information and communication technology can further female entrepreneurship in member economies. It is also hosting an APEC seminar to exchange best practices on fostering opportunities for women in smart agriculture Oct. 22-24 in Taipei City. (CPY-E)
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