As women across many fields continue to make contributions and display their abilities, and as societies become more civilized and advanced, the issue of women’s rights has gradually come to the fore.
This is especially the case in Taiwan with regard to the importance placed on sexual equality.
In the past few years, great strides have been made toward sexual equality, and this achievement is giving Taiwanese women reason to feel fortunate and happy to be living in these times.
The majority of families in Taiwan no longer adhere to the old stereotype that “men should be in charge of everything outside the household, and women should be in charge of anything in the home.”
Today, examples of professional women’s exceptional performance in the workplace abound.
As a woman who served in the military, I can look back to two decades ago when there were only a tiny number of serving women, and how they faced restrictions with regards to participation in training exercises during the course of their careers.
Female military personnel who had not gained officer-level command experience at a unit level, were at a disadvantage relative to their male peers in terms of accumulating experience and performance in the field necessary to achieve promotion.
Back then, male commanding officers were concerned that women would inconvenience operations and potentially endanger safety at a basic unit level.
When I took the initiative to apply for training with a noncombat unit, I had to settle for an officer-level training position with what was, at the time, the only specialist female unit in the military: the Female Youth Work Brigade.
The situation two decades ago is in stark contrast to today: In the military, just as in other professions and industries, female soldiers, sailors and aircrew are represented at all levels.
In Taiwanese society, women have made outstanding achievements in all kinds of positions and jobs.
Taiwan has a female president, a female Control Yuan president, as well as female county commissioners and mayors.
Today, there are even female generals serving in the military.
In short, there are plenty of opportunities across all social sectors for Taiwanese women to develop and fulfill their potential.
Furthermore, at a grassroots level, women are represented throughgout all sectors of society, whether in the workplace, at home, in schools and academia, and they are making significant contributions to the economy, society and the cultivation and education of the next generation.
Many ordinary women possess extraordinary levels of resilience.
I am constantly reminded of these words spoken by Taitung County vegetable vendor and philanthropist Chen Shu-chu (陳樹菊), who has quietly dedicated herself to serving her native land:
“The best way to live your life is to achieve the things that you want to achieve, and then to keep doing that for the rest of your days.”
Whether while I was still serving in the military or after I had returned to civilian life, I hope that I can always draw upon my abilities and feminine traits to learn from fellow Taiwanese women who quietly dedicate all their energy to making their country a more beautiful place.
This is my heartfelt wish.
Chang Ling-ling is a military instructor at National Defense University.
Translated by Edward Jones
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