Critically Unpacking Gender Politics in Taiwan

• In Event: Environmental and Gender Politics in Taiwan

Abstract

This research aims to examine the extent to which Taiwan has fulfilled SDG 5.5 – women’s effective participation for leadership at all levels. Specifically, this study addresses a research puzzle as to why there is a disparity between women’s representation in the government and that in the parliament. Between May 2016 and May 2024, under the leadership of the first female president in Taiwan, the proportion of female legislators exceeded 40 percent after the election in 2020, while the proportion of female cabinet ministers remained low under 10 percent for two years, and only increased to 17.07 percent in February 2023. Despite the progress, the outbreak of the largest wave of the #MeToo movement in Taiwan started from the political circle, and one of the earliest and powerful accusation against the abuser was made by a low-level party worker. Even though the female representation in the government seems increase, we still need to unravel the underlying factors behind the low percentage. This puzzle is more conceptually complex when comparing the portion of female representation in the government and that in the parliament. Based on the document and discourse analysis, this study argues that the institutional design of reserved seats for female legislators plays an important role as what the cabinet, which is operated as a contested site for party politics beyond the reach of civil oversight, lacks. My findings also show the positive outcomes of gender mainstreaming policy since 1990s in civil society, which have limited influence among political elites when it comes to political appointments.

Author

• Chiu-Wan Liu