Although Taiwan continues to encourage people to have children by increasing maternity subsidies, its fertility rate is still among the lowest in the world. This contradiction shows that the real cost of raising children is much more than money. For many young couples, childbirth is not only an economic challenge, but also a heavy burden on society and careers.
According to our group’s bachelor’s thesis on fertility difficulties in Taiwan, economic considerations are the main reason most often mentioned by interviewees for delaying or abandoning childbirth.
Although the government’s subsidy policy is well-meaning, it is difficult to cope with long-term and practical childcare expenses. From expensive private childcare and cram schools to rising housing prices in metropolitan areas, the overall cost of parenting often goes far beyond the affordability of middle-class families.
One of the interviewees in our study said: “Government subsidies can buy diapers and milk powder, but this is just the beginning. The real expenditure is calculated from the time the child goes to school.”
In addition to economic pressure, Taiwan‘s public childcare resources are quite scarce. Many parents face the problem of insufficient places in affordable childcare centers, so they can only rely on private institutions or elders for assistance. Due to the lack of childcare resources, dual-income families are hesitant about whether to have a second child or even a first child.
At the same time, the imbalance of caring responsibilities is still deeply rooted. Women are more often expected than men to sacrifice their careers and return to their families after having children.
This also extends to another implicit cost: the so-called “maternal punishment.” Even though society’s awareness of gender equality is gradually increasing, many women in the workplace still face discrimination when planning childbirth. Rigid working hours and the lack of a perfect maternity leave system for small and medium-sized enterprises make it difficult for both parents to balance family and career.
A female respondent in our study mentioned that she was asked during a job interview whether she intended to get married or have children, which itself reflected the employer‘s expectations and prejudices against women.
In addition, the prevailing culture of long working hours in Taiwan aggravates the problem. Late marriage and the pursuit of economic stability have made many young people postpone or even give up their fertility plans. For them, not having children is not a change of values, but a rational response to the limitations of reality.
The fertility crisis Taiwan faces does not simply come from “young people do not want to have children,” but reflects a structural problem: Under the current system, “raising a child well” is almost an impossible task.
Even if short-term subsidies can slightly reduce the burden, they cannot fundamentally solve deeper concerns about work-life balance, housing, education and gender equality.
If Taiwan really wants to improve its fertility rate, it must get out of the idea of looking to financial subsidies to solve the problem. It needs to create a society that truly supports childcare: providing flexible working hours, expanding public trust resources and promoting the cultural transformation of child-rearing responsibility sharing. Only in this way can it not only encourage fertility, but also build a society that makes people willing and able to have children.
Huang Ya-chun is a student at Wenzao Ursuline University of Languages’ Department of International Affairs.
In a summer of intense political maneuvering, Taiwanese, whose democratic vibrancy is a constant rebuke to Beijing’s authoritarianism, delivered a powerful verdict not on China, but on their own political leaders. Two high-profile recall campaigns, driven by the ruling party against its opposition, collapsed in failure. It was a clear signal that after months of bitter confrontation, the Taiwanese public is demanding a shift from perpetual campaign mode to the hard work of governing. For Washington and other world capitals, this is more than a distant political drama. The stability of Taiwan is vital, as it serves as a key player
Much like the first round on July 26, Saturday’s second wave of recall elections — this time targeting seven Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers — also failed. With all 31 KMT legislators who faced recall this summer secure in their posts, the mass recall campaign has come to an end. The outcome was unsurprising. Last month’s across-the-board defeats had already dealt a heavy blow to the morale of recall advocates and the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), while bolstering the confidence of the KMT and its ally the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP). It seemed a foregone conclusion that recalls would falter, as
The fallout from the mass recalls and the referendum on restarting the Ma-anshan Nuclear Power Plant continues to monopolize the news. The general consensus is that the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) has been bloodied and found wanting, and is in need of reflection and a course correction if it is to avoid electoral defeat. The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) has not emerged unscathed, either, but has the opportunity of making a relatively clean break. That depends on who the party on Oct. 18 picks to replace outgoing KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫). What is certain is that, with the dust settling
Mainland Affairs Council Deputy Minister Shen You-chung (沈有忠) on Thursday last week urged democratic nations to boycott China’s military parade on Wednesday next week. The parade, a grand display of Beijing’s military hardware, is meant to commemorate the 80th anniversary of Japan’s surrender in World War II. While China has invited world leaders to attend, many have declined. A Kyodo News report on Sunday said that Japan has asked European and Asian leaders who have yet to respond to the invitation to refrain from attending. Tokyo is seeking to prevent Beijing from spreading its distorted interpretation of wartime history, the report
RSS