In Taiwan, only one out of every eight professors is a woman. In the past 10 years, women's participation in the labor force has not topped 45 percent. There are five counties and cities in Taiwan that are without any women in positions of senior responsibility in their local governments. These facts were among a long list of inequalities presented yesterday in the Awakening Foundation's (
The report indicated that while women's personal safety has gained ground in the past five years, inequality still exists in the workplace and in politics, as well as in education and marriage.
"This year's women's rights can be scored 70 to 75 points out of 100," said Lee Yuan-chen (
But there are still shortcomings in women's protection. The report said that according to government statistics, rape cases doubled -- from 605 to 1,701 cases -- in the last 10 years.
After the Domestic Violence Prevention Law went into effect, there were 886 cases filing for emergency restraining orders within the first month. The figures indicate that domestic violence still occurs frequently, Lee said.
Lee took a recent dispute involving former martial arts film actor Wang Yu (?y揉
Lee said Taiwan's divorce laws still lack a separation period -- a stipulated period of separation after which a couple may apply for unconditional divorce.
Lee also said the terms for filing divorce are very strict and therefore women who suffer from domestic violence or other marriage problems have difficulty leaving their husbands, she said.
Regarding education equality, the foundation said a bias is still distinct. Women, Lee said, account for around 99 percent of kindergarten teachers. But when it comes to higher education, female college teachers comprised only 34.5 percent of the total. The number of male professors is seven times more than that of women. This implies that women are still expected to take nurturing jobs rather than be disseminators of knowledge and professional skills, according to Lai Yu-mei (賴?舠?, research director of the foundation.
Women's participation rate in the labor force is another indication of institutionalized discrimination, according to Chen Mei-hua (3祝??, secretary general of the foundation. Chen said the rate of women in the workforce has remained steady at 45 percent over the past 10 years, lagging behind Japan (50 percent), the US (60 percent) and Europe (80 percent).
Citing government statistics, the foundation said that out of 4.49 million unemployed women, 58.6 percent are home-makers. The report indicated that 25.8 percent of home-makers took on the role at the request of their families.
Even for women who have joined the labor market, obstacles remain in their choice of careers, Chen said.
Chen also pointed out that at least seven national exams are gender-biased in which quotas for women's admission were fixed at levels far less than that for men. They include accounting staff, finance staff, intelligence agents, judicial staff and postal workers.
In a positive note, the report said female participation in the legislature has reached 19 percent -- the highest rate in Taiwan's history and 22nd among parliaments around the globe.
But five counties and cities -- Tainan City, Tainan County, Penghu County, Yunlin County and Taitung County -- were said to be "biased regions" in which there are no female leaders in local governments.
NATIONAL SECURITY THREAT: An official said that Guan Guan’s comments had gone beyond the threshold of free speech, as she advocated for the destruction of the ROC China-born media influencer Guan Guan’s (關關) residency permit has been revoked for repeatedly posting pro-China content that threatens national security, the National Immigration Agency said yesterday. Guan Guan has said many controversial things in her videos posted to Douyin (抖音), including “the red flag will soon be painted all over Taiwan” and “Taiwan is an inseparable part of China,” while expressing hope for expedited “reunification.” The agency received multiple reports alleging that Guan Guan had advocated for armed reunification last year. After investigating, the agency last month issued a notice requiring her to appear and account for her actions. Guan Guan appeared as required,
Japan and the Philippines yesterday signed a defense pact that would allow the tax-free provision of ammunition, fuel, food and other necessities when their forces stage joint training to boost deterrence against China’s growing aggression in the region and to bolster their preparation for natural disasters. Japan has faced increasing political, trade and security tensions with China, which was angered by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s remark that a Chinese attack on Taiwan would be a survival-threatening situation for Japan, triggering a military response. Japan and the Philippines have also had separate territorial conflicts with Beijing in the East and South China
A strong cold air mass is expected to arrive tonight, bringing a change in weather and a drop in temperature, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The coldest time would be early on Thursday morning, with temperatures in some areas dipping as low as 8°C, it said. Daytime highs yesterday were 22°C to 24°C in northern and eastern Taiwan, and about 25°C to 28°C in the central and southern regions, it said. However, nighttime lows would dip to about 15°C to 16°C in central and northern Taiwan as well as the northeast, and 17°C to 19°C elsewhere, it said. Tropical Storm Nokaen, currently
PAPERS, PLEASE: The gang exploited the high value of the passports, selling them at inflated prices to Chinese buyers, who would treat them as ‘invisibility cloaks’ The Yilan District Court has handed four members of a syndicate prison terms ranging from one year and two months to two years and two months for their involvement in a scheme to purchase Taiwanese passports and resell them abroad at a massive markup. A Chinese human smuggling syndicate purchased Taiwanese passports through local criminal networks, exploiting the passports’ visa-free travel privileges to turn a profit of more than 20 times the original price, the court said. Such criminal organizations enable people to impersonate Taiwanese when entering and exiting Taiwan and other countries, undermining social order and the credibility of the nation’s
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