As Taiwan prepares to celebrate International Women’s Day March 8, its people can feel proud of the government’s achievements in advancing gender equality. With a female head of state in President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) and the highest proportion of women legislators in Asia—38 percent of lawmakers voted in at the 2016 general election were female—the country is at the forefront in empowering women in the political sphere. In the workplace, women are taking on traditionally male-dominated roles from forest ranger to fighter pilot. The government’s self-assessment under the U.N. Development Program’s Gender Inequality Index demonstrates that Taiwan is a leader regionally and internationally. Using 2017 data, the country ranks first in Asia and eighth worldwide.
Driving this progress is a wide-reaching legal framework to protect the rights and elevate the status of women in society. This includes legislation tackling gender-based violence and discrimination, supporting working mothers, enshrining equal rights in the workplace and promoting fair access to education, skills training and business loans. A recent example is the 2016 amendment to the Act of Gender Equality in Employment stipulating that a firm with 100 or more employees must provide nursing rooms as well as child care facilities. Illustrating its commitment to best global practices, every four years Taiwan invites an international panel to assess its implementation of the U.N. Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. At the most recent evaluation last July, the country was praised for advances made in the representation of women in political and public life, efforts to encourage female employees to return to work after parental leave and measures to foster a gender-sensitive health care environment.
The government also encourages the growth of a vibrant civil society in the field of women’s rights. Some of the most prominent groups include Awakening Foundation, which lobbies for policy and institutional reform, and The Garden of Hope Foundation, which assists victims of sexual abuse and domestic violence. The state-supported Foundation for Women’s Rights Promotion and Development (FWRPD) helps draft laws, deepen awareness and conduct research. It also runs dozens of women’s service centers across the country. And the National Alliance of Taiwan Women’s Associations (NATWA), an umbrella group of more than 50 nongovernmental organizations, frequently represents the country at international forums.
In addition, Taiwan has been using its experience to strengthen rights for women in the region. In 2017, Taiwan, along with the U.S. and Australia, set up the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Women and the Economy Subfund that is already making a difference by supporting projects promoting opportunities for women in areas such as entrepreneurship and the energy sector. Each March, the FWRPD funds civil society groups from Taiwan to attend the annual session in New York of the U.N. Commission on the Status of Women. The country also regularly hosts international events including the 2016 Executive Committee Meeting of the Paris-based International Council of Women, which debated methods to further female empowerment. This year, the southern city of Kaohsiung will stage the World Conference of Women’s Shelters to discuss ways of combating gender-based violence.
Gender equality bolsters democracy, strengthens the economy and enshrines the values of human rights, fairness and universal freedoms that Taiwan holds dear. The nation has made remarkable breakthroughs in building a society where women are given the same opportunities as men. While some hurdles such as gender stereotypes and cultural biases remain, the nation is progressing toward a time when closing the gender gap is no longer a goal but an accomplishment.