Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) yesterday highlighted measures the government has taken to eliminate discrimination against women and provide more childcare subsidies, to mark International Women’s Day.
Over the past few years, the government has implemented policies put forth by the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, with the aim of ending stereotypes that have limited the advancement of women, Su said in a statement.
This includes helping people understand that raising children and taking care of the family is a couple’s joint responsibility, and not just a mother’s job, he said.
President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) administration has also expanded the budget for childcare programs and related benefits from NT$15 billion (US$530 million at the current exchange rate) in 2016 to NT$55 billion this year, Su said.
For one type of childcare subsidy, parents would receive a base subsidy of NT$3,500 per month from August for children up to the age of four, an increase from the current subsidy of NT$2,500 per month, he said, adding that it would increase to NT$5,000 per month in August next year.
The government has also mandated that businesses with more than 100 employees adjust the work of pregnant staff and mothers with newborns when their job responsibilities could affect their health or the health of their children, he said.
If Taiwan had been included in the UN’s 2019 Gender Inequality Index, it would have ranked first in Asia and sixth in the world for gender equality, Su said.
Agencies should continue to work together to implement policies that help women develop their careers and take care of their families, thereby reducing the gender gap, he said.
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