Ahead of International Women’s Day today, President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday acknowledged the contributions made by women and promised to include gender impact assessments in government policies and establish a gender equality mechanism.
“Making sure women are safe, respecting diversity, implementing gender equality and promoting gender parity in politics are our goals and we should value women’s contributions to the workplace and in the family and make sure they receive equal treatment,” Ma said in a written statement.
In a piece titled “Appreciation and blessings to all women in the country,” Ma said his government had requested that all government bodies conduct gender impact assessments before presenting long-term projects and bills, and that his administration would set up a gender equality mechanism as part of efforts to include gender equality in government policies.
About 30 percent of legislators in Taiwan are women, a ratio that is much higher than in other Asian countries — including Japan, South Korea and Singapore — Ma said, adding that his government had worked to carry out his election campaign promise to increase the number of female members in all government committees to 30 percent and to alllow an equal opportunity to participate in the decision-making process of major policies.
At a separate setting yesterday, Premier Liu Chao-shiuan (劉兆玄) said each government department should prioritize women’s rights to create a more friendly environment.
“There is still a lot of improvement to be made as the participation of women in politics and labor is lower than men’s, as is their average income,” he said.
Describing women as an important pillar of society, Liu said their sense of responsibility and innate understanding of the “big picture” made them a precious resource.
Minister of the Interior Liao Liou-yi (廖了以) said Taiwan ranked No. 22 in the UN’s gender development index (GDI) and No. 24 in the gender empowerment measure (GEM).
The GDI assesses women’s life expectancy, gross enrolment rate, literacy and income, while the GEM measures increases in women’s political and economic decision-making power, as well as participation in professional fields.
DEEPER REVIEW: After receiving 19 hospital reports of suspected food poisoning, the Taipei Department of Health applied for an epidemiological investigation A buffet restaurant in Taipei’s Xinyi District (信義) is to be fined NT$3 million (US$91,233) after it remained opened despite an order to suspend operations following reports that 32 people had been treated for suspected food poisoning, the Taipei Department of Health said yesterday. The health department said it on Tuesday received reports from hospitals of people who had suspected food poisoning symptoms, including nausea, vomiting, stomach pain and diarrhea, after they ate at an INPARADISE (饗饗) branch in Breeze Xinyi on Sunday and Monday. As more than six people who ate at the restaurant sought medical treatment, the department ordered the
A strong continental cold air mass and abundant moisture bringing snow to mountains 3,000m and higher over the past few days are a reminder that more than 60 years ago Taiwan had an outdoor ski resort that gradually disappeared in part due to climate change. On Oct. 24, 2021, the National Development Council posted a series of photographs on Facebook recounting the days when Taiwan had a ski resort on Hehuanshan (合歡山) in Nantou County. More than 60 years ago, when developing a branch of the Central Cross-Island Highway, the government discovered that Hehuanshan, with an elevation of more than 3,100m,
Taiwan’s population last year shrank further and births continued to decline to a yearly low, the Ministry of the Interior announced today. The ministry published the 2024 population demographics statistics, highlighting record lows in births and bringing attention to Taiwan’s aging population. The nation’s population last year stood at 23,400,220, a decrease of 20,222 individuals compared to 2023. Last year, there were 134,856 births, representing a crude birth rate of 5.76 per 1,000 people, a slight decline from 2023’s 135,571 births and 5.81 crude birth rate. This decrease of 715 births resulted in a new record low per the ministry’s data. Since 2016, which saw
SECURITY: To protect the nation’s Internet cables, the navy should use buoys marking waters within 50m of them as a restricted zone, a former navy squadron commander said A Chinese cargo ship repeatedly intruded into Taiwan’s contiguous and sovereign waters for three months before allegedly damaging an undersea Internet cable off Kaohsiung, a Liberty Times (sister paper of the Taipei Times) investigation revealed. Using publicly available information, the Liberty Times was able to reconstruct the Shunxing-39’s movements near Taiwan since Double Ten National Day last year. Taiwanese officials did not respond to the freighter’s intrusions until Friday last week, when the ship, registered in Cameroon and Tanzania, turned off its automatic identification system shortly before damage was inflicted to a key cable linking Taiwan to the rest of
RSS