TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Taiwan's political landscape is witnessing a significant increase in female participation, as reported by the Ministry of Interior. The 2022 local elections showed a substantial growth in women's representation, with women constituting 39.79% of special municipal councilors and 36.02% of other municipality councilors. This marks about a 4% increase from the 2020 elections, the highest in two decades.
Taiwan leads in gender equality in politics, ranking 7th globally and first in Asia in the 2021 U.N. Gender Inequality Index. This places it ahead of regional counterparts Singapore, South Korea, and Japan, which ranked 8th, 16th, and 23rd, respectively.
With the end of Tsai Ing-wen's term as Taiwan's first female president approaching, focus intensifies on enhancing women's roles in politics. The Democratic Progressive Party and Taiwan People's Party have nominated female vice-presidential candidates Hsiao Bi-khim and Cynthia Wu, respectively. The DPP has also chosen 18 female candidates for 34 legislative seats for the 2024 elections.
However, Taiwan still faces challenges, especially highlighted by the #MeToo movement in its political realm. The fallout from a sexual harassment case involving a former DPP staffer has spurred calls for stronger protective measures for women. Professor Chen Mei-hua of National Sun Yat-Sen University points out the cultural expectation for Taiwanese women to tolerate harassment, exposing them to power imbalances.
As Taiwan strives for more inclusive gender policies, the need for effective protective measures is crucial to empower more women to take leadership roles and drive change.