The Ministry of the Interior on Sunday announced that new public housing is expected to reach nearly 100,000 units by 2029, with one-fifth designated as “family housing” for newlyweds and families with children. The plan is part of a national effort to raise Taiwan’s record-low birthrate. Ministry data show that fewer than 200,000 babies have been born each year for eight consecutive years, sinking to a low of just 134,800 last year.
The new housing policy is a welcome development. Housing insecurity is a major obstacle for many young couples, who often face a painful trade-off between having children and buying a home. Stabilizing housing prices and providing affordable rental options could help ease some of that pressure. While it is a step in the right direction, it is just one piece of a much larger and more complex puzzle. If the government truly hopes to reverse the demographic decline, it must start by understanding why people — particularly women — are not having children. That requires listening to women, and confronting the real economic and social barriers they face.
A Ministry of Health and Welfare survey conducted last year found that more than one in four female respondents aged 15 to 64 do not want to have children. In particular, those aged 15 to 24 and 25 to 34 who do not want children surged to 45.9 percent and 37.4 percent respectively. The top reasons they cited were “financial burdens” and “unwillingness to change lifestyles” — a consequence of the harsh reality that for Taiwanese women, the cost of motherhood is too high.
Having and raising children is expensive, from the medical costs of pregnancy and childbirth to food, childcare and education expenses. Moreover, wages are stagnant, while the cost of living continues to climb.
The lifestyle changes women refer to are very real opportunity costs. For many Taiwanese women, having a child means sacrificing professional ambitions, financial independence and personal freedom. Studies show that female workplace participation drops sharply after the age of 29, coinciding with marriage and motherhood. The rate never recovers — unlike in Japan and South Korea, where participation rebounds later in life. This highlights numerous systemic failings — the lack of affordable childcare, inflexible work arrangements and a deeply unequal division of household labor. It is no surprise that many young Taiwanese women see motherhood as a trap rather than a feasible option. In a labor system that rewards seniority, having a child means giving up years of career progress and financial security — so why do it?
Women’s underrepresentation in the workforce adds to Taiwan’s looming labor shortage. The government has proposed expanding access to foreign domestic helpers to address this, but it would still be costly for young families and fail to address the deeper issues. Parents should be able to care for their own children without sacrificing their careers. Expanding public housing is a good start to easing the financial burden of child rearing, but to truly tackle the birthrate crisis would require a more comprehensive package of family-friendly reforms.
In addition to public housing, the government should consider refundable child tax credits, expand state-subsidized childcare programs and tax breaks for child-related expenses, as well as urge employers to offer flexible or remote work options for parents of young children. However, even more urgent is the need for a major cultural shift — one that challenges the assumption that caregiving is solely a woman’s responsibility. Designated family housing is a step in the right direction, but it can not provide relief from the other social and economic pressures unique to women.
Parenthood can feel like an impossible choice. Taiwanese women need options and it is time that the government starts listening.
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