Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Karen Yu’s (余宛如) proposal that the Legislative Yuan Chamber Regulations (立法院議場規則) be amended to allow lawmakers who are breastfeeding children below the age of three to bring the toddlers into the legislative chamber has triggered a wave of responses, both positive and negative.
Some people who are sympathetic to Yu’s predicament feel that she has spoken up for all working women, while others have ridiculed her for putting on a show or asked what will come next if something like this is allowed.
Both sides have a point, but some of their arguments fall short. Working women today often have two jobs — their careers and then a second one as a wife and/or a mother. They must cope with the demands both of their professional and their home lives, regardless of whether these demands clash. This creates a dilemma for women.
Yu’s suggestion highlights the position of women who want to continue their family duties yet keep their careers going, and this has gained the support of many families with two working parents.
However, looking at the workplace situation, having children running about or crying would not only disturb the mother, but would affect others in the workplace. This also applies to the legislative chamber; while it would be convenient to be able to care for one’s child during a legislative session, it does not make for an ideal work situation.
This issue highlights a main reason for Taiwan’s extremely low birth rate. Since wages have remained stagnant for more than a decade, and starting wages for university or college graduates have actually declined, it is very difficult to start or maintain a family on just one salary. With both members of a couple having to work just to make ends meet, having children increases their expenses and creates daycare problems. This is why many young people put parenthood on the back burner.
However, this is not merely a family issue; it is an economic and social problem. The suggestion by legislators that parents receive a monthly child subsidy of NT$3,000 sounds nice, but not only would it not solve the problem, it would add to the nation’s fiscal deficit.
To solve the low birthrate problem, we must first take a long, hard look at the demands of working mothers and create a work environment that is friendlier to and more supportive of them. If there were more daycare facilities available — either close to their home or workplace — they would not need to bring their children to work, which would avoid the risks that could occur in the workplace and the impact on the mothers’ or their colleagues’ working efficiency.
Yu’s proposal would affect her own situation, but would not do much to tackle the problems faced by working mothers and married women nationwide. Even if legislators or Cabinet members were allowed to bring their children to legislative sessions, that would only affect the tip of the iceberg.
Many other women would continue to bear the double workloads of their jobs and home duties.
It would perhaps be better for lawmakers to draft legislation requiring the government and businesses to provide creches and daycare centers that would help address the short and long-term requirements of working mothers.
A toddler or child might not be the only one that a working mother or other woman has to care for at home — there could be elderly parents as well.
Their care should of course not only be the responsibility of women: men should have to take equal responsibility, and this is something that should also be taken into consideration when drafting new legislation.
In the US’ National Security Strategy (NSS) report released last month, US President Donald Trump offered his interpretation of the Monroe Doctrine. The “Trump Corollary,” presented on page 15, is a distinctly aggressive rebranding of the more than 200-year-old foreign policy position. Beyond reasserting the sovereignty of the western hemisphere against foreign intervention, the document centers on energy and strategic assets, and attempts to redraw the map of the geopolitical landscape more broadly. It is clear that Trump no longer sees the western hemisphere as a peaceful backyard, but rather as the frontier of a new Cold War. In particular,
When it became clear that the world was entering a new era with a radical change in the US’ global stance in US President Donald Trump’s second term, many in Taiwan were concerned about what this meant for the nation’s defense against China. Instability and disruption are dangerous. Chaos introduces unknowns. There was a sense that the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) might have a point with its tendency not to trust the US. The world order is certainly changing, but concerns about the implications for Taiwan of this disruption left many blind to how the same forces might also weaken
As the new year dawns, Taiwan faces a range of external uncertainties that could impact the safety and prosperity of its people and reverberate in its politics. Here are a few key questions that could spill over into Taiwan in the year ahead. WILL THE AI BUBBLE POP? The global AI boom supported Taiwan’s significant economic expansion in 2025. Taiwan’s economy grew over 7 percent and set records for exports, imports, and trade surplus. There is a brewing debate among investors about whether the AI boom will carry forward into 2026. Skeptics warn that AI-led global equity markets are overvalued and overleveraged
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Monday announced that she would dissolve parliament on Friday. Although the snap election on Feb. 8 might appear to be a domestic affair, it would have real implications for Taiwan and regional security. Whether the Takaichi-led coalition can advance a stronger security policy lies in not just gaining enough seats in parliament to pass legislation, but also in a public mandate to push forward reforms to upgrade the Japanese military. As one of Taiwan’s closest neighbors, a boost in Japan’s defense capabilities would serve as a strong deterrent to China in acting unilaterally in the
RSS