The nation’s low birth rate has bounced back slightly since 2011, following the enactment of fertility policies, although unsatisfying working conditions and low wages contribute to low fertility rates, National Taiwan University (NTU) research showed.
Birth rates have rebounded from a historic low of 0.91 children born per woman in 2010 to about 1.1 in recent years, which is possibly due to fertility policies and generational differences, NTU sociology professor Chen Yu-hua (陳玉華) said at a news conference held by the Ministry of Science and Technology on Wednesday last week.
“While the number of children born has steadily decreased, women born in the 1980s and later — despite generally giving birth at an older age — have overtaken women born in the 1970s in terms of the number of children born per person, due to the enactment of childbirth subsidies and maternity leave policies. It is likely that women born in the 1970s have the lowest fertility rate,” Chen said.
However, the nation’s birth rate is still too low, with an estimated 30 percent of people born in the 1990s and later unlikely to have children, and 40 percent unlikely to have grandchildren.
Low fertility rates are mainly caused by low household income, unfriendly work environments and the high cost of child rearing, coupled with limited government efforts to encourage women to have children, Chen said.
“Taiwan’s working conditions are such that women either dare not request maternity leave, or they are not reinstated to original positions following maternity leave,” she said.
Average household expenditure on children’s education in Taiwan is NT$781,702 — the highest in the world in terms of total household income — but the government has offered only limited assistance in child rearing compared with other nations, Chen said.
“Taipei’s total birth rate has climbed from about 10 percent in 2010 to nearly 14 percent in 2014 because the city launched a series of policies to encourage women to give birth, suggesting such policies can boost birth rates. Low birth rates and an aging population are increasingly common in lower-income areas, such as Nantou, Yunlin and Chiayi,” she said.
Three Taiwanese airlines have prohibited passengers from packing Bluetooth earbuds and their charger cases in checked luggage. EVA Air and Uni Air said that Bluetooth earbuds and charger cases are categorized as portable electronic devices, which should be switched off if they are placed in checked luggage based on international aviation safety regulations. They must not be in standby or sleep mode. However, as charging would continue when earbuds are placed in the charger cases, which would contravene international aviation regulations, their cases must be carried as hand luggage, they said. Tigerair Taiwan said that earbud charger cases are equipped
Foreign travelers entering Taiwan on a short layover via Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport are receiving NT$600 gift vouchers from yesterday, the Tourism Administration said, adding that it hopes the incentive would boost tourism consumption at the airport. The program, which allows travelers holding non-Taiwan passports who enter the country during a layover of up to 24 hours to claim a voucher, aims to promote attractions at the airport, the agency said in a statement on Friday. To participate, travelers must sign up on the campaign Web site, the agency said. They can then present their passport and boarding pass for their connecting international
Temperatures in northern Taiwan are forecast to reach as high as 30°C today, as an ongoing northeasterly seasonal wind system weakens, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. CWA forecaster Tseng Chao-cheng (曾昭誠) said yesterday that with the seasonal wind system weakening, warmer easterly winds would boost the temperature today. Daytime temperatures in northern Taiwan and Yilan County are expected to range from 28°C to 30°C today, up about 3°C from yesterday, Tseng said. According to the CWA, temperature highs in central and southern Taiwan could stay stable. However, the weather is expected to turn cooler starting tonight as the northeasterly wind system strengthens again
Taiwan sweltered through its hottest October on record, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, the latest in a string of global temperature records. The main island endured its highest average temperature since 1950, CWA forecaster Liu Pei-teng said. Temperatures the world over have soared in recent years as human-induced climate change contributes to ever more erratic weather patterns. Taiwan’s average temperature was 27.381°C as of Thursday, Liu said. Liu said the average could slip 0.1°C by the end of yesterday, but it would still be higher than the previous record of 27.009°C in 2016. "The temperature only started lowering around Oct. 18 or 19
RSS