Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) has proposed adding one month to paid parental leave, bringing the total to seven months, provided both parents take the full entitlement.
The proposal, intended to encourage a more equal sharing of childcare responsibilities, comes alongside ideas such as extending childcare-related leave eligibility until children reach six or even 12 years of age (the current limit is three).
While all measures aimed at easing the burden on parents are welcome in principle, an extra month of paid leave is unlikely to have a major structural impact on the pressures families face.
Other proposals — such as those raised by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers, the Taiwan Labour Front and the Childcare Policy Alliance — are more closely aligned with what parents actually need: flexibility.
One suggestion would allow families to receive childcare and daycare subsidies simultaneously.
Advocates said childcare demands do not end once children enter daycare or school, but continue through pickups, holidays, illness and unexpected class suspensions. As many parents can attest, when illness spreads through a daycare and classes are suspended for several days, it could place enormous strain on households. Parents might be unable to take leave at short notice, leaving them scrambling for alternative care.
The situation is even more difficult for single parents and families who live in cities far from extended family support networks.
Parents whose children are enrolled in daycare still have caregiving responsibilities in the evenings, on holidays, during illness or when classes are suspended, DPP Legislator Ngalim Tiunn (張雅琳) said.
Childcare allowances aim to support basic caregiving needs, while daycare subsidies are meant to help families access external childcare services, so the two serve different purposes, she added.
The government could also do more by improving access to daycare services, where existing efforts, while meaningful, still fall short of demand. Access to daycare in Taiwan has improved over the past few years, with expanded subsidies, increased numbers of public and publicly supported childcare centers, and the conversion of unused public facilities into early childhood care spaces. Policy efforts have also focused on reducing childcare costs and increasing financial support for families with young children.
At the same time, the government has promoted more flexible childcare and parental leave arrangements as part of broader efforts to address low birthrates and support working parents. However, demand still outpaces supply in many urban areas, with shortages of public daycare places and long waiting lists, while rural areas continue to face limited access.
To make a meaningful dent in the problem, the government needs to focus on two key areas: repurposing unused urban spaces into childcare centers, and increasing the number of qualified early childhood educators through subsidized training and higher guaranteed wages.
The first issue should be approached in a similar way to the housing shortage — with the government acquiring or repurposing underused properties in locations where they could best serve the public’s needs.
The second requires making childcare work more attractive — much like efforts to encourage participation in the trades — by offering clear pathways for young people who do not pursue university education.
Municipal governments could maintain a pool of standby childcare workers on retainer, offering guaranteed income in exchange for availability during short-notice disruptions such as school closures or child illness.
Regulatory adjustments could also help. For example, daycares could be equipped with isolation areas where children with mild symptoms or elevated temperatures could be temporarily monitored rather than immediately sent home, reducing disruption for working parents. This would, of course, require additional staffing and appropriate safeguards, but many childcare settings already follow strict hygiene measures such as mask-wearing and frequent handwashing.
The government could also work with large employers to expand on-site childcare facilities, reducing logistical burdens on parents while keeping families close together during the workday. Some companies, such as Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (台積電), already operate such facilities.
As this issue is closely tied to Taiwan’s persistently low birthrate, the government cannot avoid addressing the shortage of affordable family housing, particularly in urban areas. If the government is serious about raising the birthrate, it must ensure that young families have access to affordable housing options in cities where jobs are concentrated.
An extra month of paid leave would likely be welcomed by parents, but the more pressing challenges remain childcare access and housing affordability. Unless those structural issues are addressed more directly, meaningful improvements in the birthrate are unlikely.
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