Fostering flexible workplace environments and encouraging men to participate in childcare are key to boosting birthrates, as it is mostly women who face challenges in balancing careers and family planning, Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Lin Ching-yi (林靜儀) said yesterday.
Minister of Health and Welfare Chiu Tai-yuan (邱泰源) on Saturday last week outlined four strategies to address the nation’s declining birthrate.
They were: reducing the burden of childcare, improving mother-child health, funding more childcare facilities and public housing for new parents, and increasing people’s willingness to get married and have children, Chiu said.
Photo: George Tsorng, Taipei Times
Chiu said encouraging matchmaking activities could help with the last strategy, which drew public criticism.
Developed countries often face declining birthrates, as people have more choices regarding their life path, Lin told reporters before attending a hearing of the Legislative Yuan’s Social Welfare and Environmental Hygiene Committee.
The ministry has been promoting family-friendly environments, subsidies for assisted reproduction and supportive workplaces so that families with children or who want children can have social support, she said.
It is mostly women who face challenges related to balancing their careers and family planning, Lin said.
If more men could participate in childcare and if workplace environments are more flexible, there would be more opportunities to increase the birthrate, she said.
Responding to criticism that she is unfit for her position after voicing support for the recall movement, Lin said that outside of her work, she is also a citizen, and she and civic groups encourage and support each other.
She said she is focused on doing her job well each day and would respect the Executive Yuan’s authority if it decides to reshuffle the Cabinet.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a news conference about lung cancer screenings in Taipei yesterday, Chiu said that encouraging matchmaking activities is not a direct solution to solving the nation’s low birthrate, but was mentioned in passing, as people in developed countries often need more interactions with each other.
Solving the low birthrate needs a set of comprehensive solutions, including encouraging men to participate in childcare, and the ministry is willing to take in any good suggestions and work together with different fields to find better solutions, he added.
Asked to comment on remarks asking him to be removed from his post in a Cabinet reshuffle, Chiu said the most important thing is to do his job well every day to improve the nation’s healthcare, disease prevention and social welfare, and achieve President William Lai’s (賴清德) vision of a healthy Taiwan.
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