Gender Equality in Taiwan: 8 Issues

1. Pay Inequality
In  2003 Taiwanese women made 20.1% less than men.

In 2014  Taiwanese women made 16.1% less than men.  Women who are paid 16.1 percent less on average than men in Taiwan means that women need to work 59 days more than men per year to earn the same level of income.

In 2015 Taiwanese women made 15% less than men. Women who are paid 15 percent less on average than men in Taiwan means that women need to work ____ days more than men per year to earn the same level of income.

2. Low % of Female Managers
A recent survey conducted by a local Chinese-language magazine shows that only 23 percent of high-ranking executives in local companies are women, even if their education levels are now higher than their male counterparts. (China Post)

Despite the growing female political representation in Taiwan, the share of women managers in the private sector is still low. According to government statistics, 25 percent of managers and administrators were female in 2014. But, because this percentage included female legislators and administrators in the public sector, in which women’s share in managerial positions was more than one third, the female representation among private-sector managers is actually lower than 25 percent. Although 25 percent was higher than the 11 percent in Japan and Korea, it was much lower than the female share in managerial and administrative occupations in the United States (43 percent) or Singapore (34 percent).[15] So clearly, there is much room for improvement. 

Interestingly, the increase in Taiwanese women’s share in managerial positions has accelerated during the past five years. From 2009 to 2014, this share rose by 6 percent, whereas it took 14 years for it to increase the same amount before 2009. Whether this acceleration will continue remains to be seen. (Brookings Institute)

3. Lower % of Working Women
Taiwan’s female labor force participation rate is not unusually high among East Asian countries. At 51 percent today, Taiwan’s rate is roughly comparable with Japan (49 percent) and South Korea (50 percent in 2013), while lower than the rates of Singapore (59 percent) and China (64 percent) in the same year.[2] Both Singapore and China have a much smaller proportion of the population enrolled in higher education. This lower enrollment allows more single young women to be available for employment, thus contributing to greater female labor force participation rates. China’s high female employment rate also has to do with the legacy of full employment during the socialist era, which provides ideological support for women to hold paid jobs. (Brookings Institute)

4. Division of Labor Inequality
Caring for children or elderly family members remains the main responsibility of women in 74 percent of households. They also do all the housework in more than 60 percent of cases. Even among double-income families, data show that men share housework with women in just 10 percent of couples. (China Post)

5. Bias Towards Sons
Among newborns, as late as 2010, the male to female ratio was still near 110:100, higher than the natural birth ratio (105-107:100). This ratio suggests evidence of sex-selective abortions and continued prevalence of a son preference among current Taiwanese families. Although this son preference no longer leads to fewer years of schooling for girls,[16] parents’ gender biases are likely to continue to affect their support for sons and daughters to enter customarily male or female fields of study, which in turn perpetuates gender inequality at work.  (Brookings Institute)

6. Teen Pregnancy
According to a study dating from 2011, there are only 1.67 teenage pregnancies out of a thousand Dutch girls (15-19 years old), while the birth rate among Taiwanese teen moms is about 3.68 percent. (China Post). But it has decreased from 4.12% in 2013. (Taipei Times).

7. Adultery Law
Women in Taiwan still suffer for the Adultery Law that was meant to protect women in the first place. In recent years, the percentage of women charged of adultery has been increasing, not because they are more unfaithful, but because Taiwanese society keeps pointing the finger at "unfaithful women." In other words, wives are more likely to drop the case against their husbands but not against the mistress, who is often still charged with adultery. In order to get evidence of adultery, women sometimes commit more serious crimes such as trespassing and infringement of digital privacy. In many countries, adultery is legal and just a matter of morality. Legal equality doesn't mean equal treatment to women. (China Post)

8. Inheritance
According to statistics from the Ministry of Finance from 2011, 63.3 percent of women waived their right to an inheritance while only 36.7 percent of men did the same. Among those who paid their inheritance tax, female heirs only account for about one-third of the total. Why? According to tradition, only males can pass down property and the name of the family. Even though Taiwanese males and females are equal before the law and have an equal right to inheritance, females are often under pressure from relatives to waive their right to an inheritance. (China Post)

Important Dates in Taiwan:
February 28 Equal Pay Day
March 8 International Women's Day

Resources:
 Brookings Institute Women and Employment (September 2015)
Gender Equality in Taiwan has a long way to go ( China Post March 2014)
Gender Pay Gap Improves Slightly This Year (Taipei Times February 2015)
Teen Pregnancies Threaten Mother and Child (Taipei Times July 2013)