Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) presidential candidate Eric Chu’s (朱立倫) proposal to tackle the disconcertingly low birth rate by lowering the minimum age limit for kindergarten subsidies from five to three is a classic example of politicians conflating the nation’s demographic crisis with money.
According to the CIA’s World Factbook, Taiwan’s fertility rate is ninth from the bottom among 224 nations worldwide, with an estimated 8.47 births per 1,000 population this year.
These figures render the nation’s dwindling fertility rate an issue of “national security” when compared with those of other developing Asian nations, such as the Philippines (24.27 births per 1,000 population), Malaysia (19.71 births) and Indonesia (16.72 births).
However, the issue is more of a structural rather than a pecuniary problem.
Indeed, the high fees of private nurseries and preschools are a real obstacle for parents, due to the scarcity of places in more affordable public institutions — to which the chance of gaining admission is said to be equivalent to winning the lottery.
However, what really deters young couples from having children is the nation’s bizarre workplace culture, where a tacit policy of mandatory overtime has been implemented in many companies.
Even if a couple’s combined income is sufficient to afford private daycare centers or kindergartens — where monthly charges range between NT$15,000 and NT$25,000, or more if they provide bilingual programs — it is almost impossible for them to clock out at the time they are contracted to leave without being frowned upon by their coworkers, or see their “early departure” reflected in their performance evaluation and year-end bonuses.
When young couples know they would hardly ever be able to pick up their kids from daycare on time, spend quality time with them in the evenings, or be there when their child needs them, of course the idea of starting of family seems impractical.
Instead of a happy family life, parents are more likely to be laden with guilt about not being able to be more available for their child while they are stuck in their offices working late.
In addition, both men and women in the workplace still face discrimination over parental leave.
The Gender Equality in Employment Act (性別工作平等法) entitles employees who have worked for six months to parental leave of up to two years.
However, in some cases, women applying for such leave often find themselves being pressured into resigning.
The situation over paternal leave is no better, with fathers susceptible to ridicule from employers or colleagues clinging to outdated gender-role stereotypes that taking care of a child is a woman’s job and that a man who does so is less of a man.
While such stereotypes still linger in many parts of the world, they are particularly rife in Taiwan’s patriarchal society, where women are still expected to leave their family and move in with their husband’s following marriage.
They are also required by social convention to spend traditional holidays, such as the Lunar New Year holiday, with their husband’s family instead of their own.
Such gender bias and male-centered traditions are one of the main barriers to educated women getting married, which has further depressed the nation’s already low birth rate.
It is said that any problem that can be solved with money is not a problem.
Unfortunately, money is only superficially the source of the nation’s declining fertility rate — a national security-level conundrum rooted in a wide range of factors that can only be addressed by fundamental social and cultural reforms.
The return of US president-elect Donald Trump to the White House has injected a new wave of anxiety across the Taiwan Strait. For Taiwan, an island whose very survival depends on the delicate and strategic support from the US, Trump’s election victory raises a cascade of questions and fears about what lies ahead. His approach to international relations — grounded in transactional and unpredictable policies — poses unique risks to Taiwan’s stability, economic prosperity and geopolitical standing. Trump’s first term left a complicated legacy in the region. On the one hand, his administration ramped up arms sales to Taiwan and sanctioned
The US election result will significantly impact its foreign policy with global implications. As tensions escalate in the Taiwan Strait and conflicts elsewhere draw attention away from the western Pacific, Taiwan was closely monitoring the election, as many believe that whoever won would confront an increasingly assertive China, especially with speculation over a potential escalation in or around 2027. A second Donald Trump presidency naturally raises questions concerning the future of US policy toward China and Taiwan, with Trump displaying mixed signals as to his position on the cross-strait conflict. US foreign policy would also depend on Trump’s Cabinet and
The Taiwanese have proven to be resilient in the face of disasters and they have resisted continuing attempts to subordinate Taiwan to the People’s Republic of China (PRC). Nonetheless, the Taiwanese can and should do more to become even more resilient and to be better prepared for resistance should the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) try to annex Taiwan. President William Lai (賴清德) argues that the Taiwanese should determine their own fate. This position continues the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) tradition of opposing the CCP’s annexation of Taiwan. Lai challenges the CCP’s narrative by stating that Taiwan is not subordinate to the
Republican candidate and former US president Donald Trump is to be the 47th president of the US after beating his Democratic rival, US Vice President Kamala Harris, in the election on Tuesday. Trump’s thumping victory — winning 295 Electoral College votes against Harris’ 226 as of press time last night, along with the Republicans winning control of the US Senate and possibly the House of Representatives — is a remarkable political comeback from his 2020 defeat to US President Joe Biden, and means Trump has a strong political mandate to implement his agenda. What does Trump’s victory mean for Taiwan, Asia, deterrence