Just in time for International Women's Day tomorrow, Council of Labor Affairs Minister Jennifer Wang (王如玄) said yesterday that female workers could start taking pregnancy leave for up to one year by June.
Wang made the remarks at an event at the Taiwan Women's Center in Taipei yesterday at a celebration marking the 100th anniversary of International Women’s Day.
“Many female workers have complained that they sometimes feel very uncomfortable or fear having a miscarriage when at work and would like to take days off,” she said.
“However, current laws don’t allow them [to take as many days off as they need],” she told the audience. “That's why we have come up with a plan to allow women to take pregnancy leave for up to a year.”
Wang said that while women going on pregnancy leave would not be paid, they would keep their job and labor insurance coverage.
She said that women wanting to go on pregnancy leave would have to provide a note from a doctor confirming the pregnancy.
“We will change regulations so that an employer will not be able to refuse the request,” Wang said.
“The program will be launched in late May or early June,” she said.
The plan was supported by Premier Wu Den-yih (吳敦義), who attended the celebration.
President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), who also participated in the event, said the lyrics of some military songs should be changed, as some may violate the spirit of gender equality.
Ma, who served in the Marine Corps during his compulsory military service, asked frogwoman Hsu Yu-ting (徐郁婷) to sing the Marines' Hymn with him and then asked the audience if they sensed something was wrong.
“Don't you think it's a bit odd to sing ‘boys become heroes here’ when we actually have female officers in the Marine Corps?” Ma asked.
“Things have changed over the past 100 years,” he said.
The president asked the Ministry of National Defense to look for regulations and song lyrics that needed to be revised to reflect gender equality.
A special exhibition on the equal rights movement in Taiwan was inaugurated after the event and will be open until March 26 on the 9th Floor of No. 15 Hangzhou S Rd Sec. 1 in Taipei.
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