After decades’ efforts dedicated by civil society organizations, Taiwan has become a leader in gender issues, such as women’s political participation, LGBT rights and the prevention of gender-based violence for Asia and the rest of the world. In 2011, the government enacted Gender Equality Policy Guidelines and revised it in 2017 to adjust social changes and integrate global tendency, including the spirit of SDGs. The spirit of women’s rights and gender equality are reflected in Taiwan’s laws and policies, which gradually impact lifestyle and cultural aspects, becoming a shared value in Taiwanese society.
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) began compiling and issuing the Gender Inequality Index (GII) in 2010.
The GII measures the state of gender inequality in countries around the world by analyzing 5 indicators in the 3 dimensions of health, empowerment, and labor market.
Taiwan ranks 6th globally in the GII and 1st in Asia, according to data for 2019.
To state that all employees shall receive the same wage rate payable to other employees doing the same work, no women shall be discriminated on the basis of gender. To safeguard the rights and interests in work of child workers and female workers.
To lift the restriction on legal abortion with lawful reasons.
To stipulate that the wife’s domicile, the decision whether the wife chooses to prefix to her surname that of her husband’s, the children’s surname, the management of matrimonial property, and the guardianship of children in case of divorce all can be exempted from the law and to be determined by mutual agreement between husband and wife. To specify the allocation of the remainder of the property in case of divorce.
To specify the reserved seats and quota for women in the Legislative Yuan.
To stipulate that only prostitutes shall be penalized while their customers would not be. To particularize the punishment for other actions that interfere with the public moral or violate others’ bodies and property.
To explicitly assert that the State shall protect the dignity of women, safeguard their personal safety, eliminate gender discrimination, and further substantive gender equality.
To protect teenaged girls from becoming the victims of prostitution and human trafficking, to punish customers of prostitution and erotic service providers with severer penalty.
To prevent sexual assault and to provide the victims with safeguard measures.
To prevent domestic violence, to actively provide safeguard measures for victims, to eradicate the traditional belief of “laws have no power over family affairs.”
To increase the reserved seats and quota for women to one-forth in all local representative elections at all levels.
Foundation for women’s Rights Promotion and Development (FWRPD) was established to serve as a bridge for constructive dialogue between the government and the private sectors, and to build a center of resource and information exchange for all women in Taiwan.
To safeguard women’s rights to work. To expressly define what constitutes as sexual harassment in workplace and to state the principle that the responsibility of child care shall be shouldered by the State and society.
To modify the matrimonial property system. To safeguard married women’s rights to freely manage their property. To implement right to request allocation of the remainder of the property between husband and wife. To include what additional property can be counted into the remainder of the property and tracing. To allot “free funds” for recognizing housewives’ contribution.
To eliminate gender discrimination. To establish an enabling environment and resources for gender equality on campus. To safeguard right to education for people of different genders. To explicitly stipulate the preventative measures and handling principles of sexual assault and harassment on campus.
To stipulate that in the Legislative Yuan election, the number of women elected in proportion to the votes won by a political party shall be no less than one-half of the total numbers of representatives elected using the same method.
To prevent human trafficking and to provide victims with a comprehensive set of services.
The funding required by the various levels of administering agencies to enforce regulations of the convention that safeguard the human rights of all genders shall be the priority of the budget compilation with respect to the financial condition. Additionally, in correspondence with the regulations of CEDAW, all administering agencies shall conclude any formulation, amendment, or repeal of the act; and improving its executive actions within three years following the execution of the Enforcement Act.
To promote the development of gender equality by managing the policies in Taiwan that relate to women in politics, economy, education, population, health, legislation, environment, and more from a perspective of equity, gender equality, and gender mainstreaming.
In 2016, Madam Tsai Ing-Wen became the first democratically-elected female president in Taiwan, marking a prominent milestone for women in politics.
The Act for Implementation of J.Y. Interpretation No. 748, is a substantive law for same-sex marriage in Taiwan that made Taiwan the first country in Asia and the twenty-eighth in the world to legalize same-sex marriage.
the #1 in Asia to incorporate civil protection orders into the legal system.
In the last two decades, the laws to prevent gender-based violence have been constantly improved. For example, the Domestic Violence Prevention Act has long oered protection to same-sex couples.
Taiwan also passed the Gender Equity Education Act (2004), the Act of Gender Equality in Employment (2002) and other acts on gender equality in recently years. These laws have constructed the gender based violence prevention network at school and in the workplace.
On May 17, 2019, Taiwan’s Legislative Yuan approved the Enforcement Act of Judicial Yuan Interpretation No. 748, a special law legalizing same-sex marriage in Taiwan. Taking eect on May 24, 2019, the Act is the first law passed in Asia to recognize same-sex marriage. According to article 2 of the Act, two persons of the same sex may form a permanent union of intimate and exclusive nature for the purpose of living a common life. It is a major milestone in the promotion of LGBTQ+ rights and interests.
The number 89.53% is much higher than the world average with 40.61%
As a member of the international community, Taiwan shoulders the responsibility to advance gender equality and promote democracy and social inclusion.
We have been committed to sharing and exchanging our experience in promoting gender
equality with the world in the hope of contributing and participating in international gender equality movements.
With this in mind, as we celebrate the 2020 Bejing+25, women’s groups in Taiwan s would like to invite all feminists
who believe in gender equality and to join Taiwan NGO Expos in achieving 50-50 by 2030 !
TWiST
The society of Taiwan Women in Sciences and Technology
MWF
Modern Women's Foundation
WFWP-Taiwan
Women’s Federation for World Peace, Taiwan
TCAV
Taiwan Coalition Against Violence
Office for Gender Equality
Taipei City Government
ECPAT Taiwan
Asserting women’s rights and promoting gender equality are not only Taiwan’s fundamental state policies which are regulated in the Constitution, but also are crucial human rights indicators of modern democracy countries.
With the partnership between local governments and women’s groups, Taiwan Women’s Movements have developed in all areas of daily life . Visit our women’s centers around Taiwan and see our movements on promoting and implementing women and gender policies.
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