"Problems arising from gender issues have gradually been eliminated at MOFA -- but that doesn't mean they don't still exist," Yeh added.
Another senior woman diplomat, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that China does a better job than Taiwan of promoting women elites to diplomatic positions.
"You would be surprised at the quantity of Chinese women serving as diplomats and the chances and responsibilities they are given," said the female official, adding that aside from Chinese Vice Premier Wu Yi (
She didn't elaborate on the proportion of female diplomats serving in the Chinese diplomatic community, however.
The highest-ranking female official at MOFA is Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Katherine Chang (章小月). Chang was promoted to the post in February last year after having served as the nation's top representative in the Netherlands.
In 1997, Chang became the nation's first female ambassador when she took up the post of ambassador to St. Kitts and Nevis and the Commonwealth of Dominica.
Kao told the Taipei Times that sometimes she likes to think back on the snow in Warsaw and that despite the challenges she faced there, the four years she spent in Poland "were the most wonderful experience of my diplomatic career."
"I don't think gender should be an issue in the diplomatic field," Kao said.
"Sometimes women can accomplish much more than their male counterparts, as long as they are given important tasks," she said, adding that she was as prepared for her next transfer as she was 10 years ago.
RSS