The trend is attributed by the DGBAS in its latest national family income and expenditure survey to better education and economic independence for females, as well as an increasing gap in the life expectancies of men and women over the past decade.
Further breakdown of the data reveals that 45 percent of families in the bottom 20 percentile were supported mainly by females, up from 34 percent 10 years ago. The same pattern is present in the other four percentiles as well.
“Low-income households tend to be single-parent families with a woman as the main breadwinner,” a DGBAS official said. “Increases in the other four percentiles reflect a general improvement in the earning capacities of women in Taiwan.”
According to the survey, Taiwan’s average household income inched up 0.9 percent to NT$1.22 million (US$32,472) in 2015, with disposable income rising 0.8 percent to NT$964,895 per household and 2.5 percent to NT$311,256 per capita. On average, each household saved NT$205,248, up 1.8 percent year on year.
The survey also found that 84.2 percent of Taiwan’s households live in owner-occupied residences averaging 145.46 square meters per family, or 46.94 square meters per capita. Over 59 percent of households had a car, 85.4 percent cable TV services and 77.9 percent internet connections.
Another DGBAS report released in early March shows that Taiwan’s women made significant socioeconomic gains in 2015. Average monthly salaries for females grew 2.9 percent as compared to 2.3 percent for males, while around 45 percent of the former were tertiary educated in contrast to 39.3 percent for the latter. There were 11.78 million women in Taiwan last year, 68,000 more than men. (SFC-E)
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