International Women’s Day 2024: The Ongoing Gender Equality Revolution in Taiwan

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This article is part of the 57th issue of LEAP — Voices of Youth e-letter. Subscribe now.

The fact that Taiwan is a trustworthy ally in the liberal world has never been clearer. Recently, backed by its progressive policy orientation and civil resilience, Taiwan’s achievements in economy, innovation, health, and gender equality have proven that Taiwan Can Help is not just a slogan. Taiwan is actually helping transform our world into a more sustainable, innovative, and inclusive place.

Taiwan celebrates its cultural diversity and supports women and girls from all backgrounds to speak out loud (Photo: FWRPD)

LEAP: Voices of Youth has always served as a platform to connect Taiwan’s gender equality advocacy with the world. Reporting from the viewpoint of the young generation, our coverage spans from timely gender news to in-depth gender analysis in Taiwan, and the topics include women’s economic and political empowerment, gender policies and NGOs’ practices, LGBTQ+ rights, and Taiwan’s participation in international gender advocacies.

By supporting the young reporters to cover Taiwan gender news, the Foundation for Women’s Rights Promotion and Development (FWRPD), the organizer of LEAP: Voices of Youth, invests in young women’s public participation and hopes to foster their talents and interest in shaping a fairer world.

One of LEAP’s editors co-organized and spoke at a side event at the NGOCSW68 Forum (Photo: FWRPD)

Celebrating International Women’s Day 2024 and echoing the priority themes of UN CSW68, this special issue of LEAP: Voices of Youth is a compilation of our top hits on women’s economic empowerment and Taiwan’s efforts to inspire inclusiveness.

You can click on the captions to link to the articles.

Impoverish Women No More: Empowerment of Women out of Poverty and Into The Workforce

Homeless women face multifaceted issues living on the streets. They are easily one of the most vulnerable groups of women. With assistance from NGOs, however, they have developed multiple skills and networks to help their lives go on.

She Calls The Streets “Home”: The Story Behind a Homeless Woman (Photo Credit: Chen Wan-zhen)

Not Just for Sleeping or Bathing: A Space Where Homeless Women Build Connections (Photo Credit: Chen Wan-zhen)

On the other hand, the contribution of women in rural areas and immigrant women is often overlooked by the economic institutions of Taiwan. With a vision to Leave No One Behind, the livelihood of these groups of marginalized women should re-enter the sight of the public.

Recognizing the Contribution of Women in Rural Areas: Reversing Gender Inequality and the Social Norms (Photo Credit: Gawii Chang)

Bolstering Immigrant Women’s Economic Status: Immigrant Women’s Entrepreneurship Accelerator in Taiwan (image source: screenshot of program documentary)

To conclude this section, the intersectionality of women’s familial relationships and their well-being cannot be ignored. Women who raise children on their own and those who have experienced abuse are common cases that require systemic intervention of social policies and material resources.

Harder or Easier? The Current Social Situation of Single Mothers (Photo: Unsplash)

From Shelters to Social Housing — A Space Where Abused Women Can Grow a Sense of Subjectivity (Photo: National Housing and Urban Regeneration Center)

Different, Yet The Same: Let Inclusiveness Be Everywhere

A society where diversity is meaningfully appreciated and purposefully forged is a safer and more prosperous place for people, regardless of their race, gender, age, sexual orientation, or status of disability, to thrive together.

Let’s start this section with enthusiastic social movements that break discrimination. High school students fight against stiff gender stereotypes, while NGOs successfully advocate for LGBTQ rights in court.

Students Are Wearing Skirts to School, Boys and Girls (Photo: )

A New Milestone for Same-Sex Marriage in Taiwan: Registration Opened for Cross-National Couples (Photo: TAPCPR)

Strengthening the social protection net is also crucial for creating an enabling environment for women, especially in the context of the pandemic and the recovery period afterward.

Besides the official institutional assistance, the mutual support among women has woven its own safety net for hostesses and female drug addict ex-offenders during lockdowns.

Mutual Assistance Among “Hostesses” Outside of the Social Safety Net During the Pandemic Lockdown (Photo provided by Yun-yun Hu)

Creating a Home: Untag Female Drug Addict Ex-offenders From Criminal Images (Photo: Lin Si-hou)

Women in the political fields can best speak up for women. A group of women has formed a political party that stresses environmental justice, children’s rights, and gender equality. Women are also leaders in climate actions and socialeconomic welfare. Let’s see the incredible power of grassroot Taiwanese MOMs and their participation in various public spheres.

The Rise of Women: The Untold History of Mothers Entering Politics (Provided by TOPEP)

Trend: Women as Emerging Leaders in Climate Action (Photo: Unsplash)

From Bus Attendants to Drivers: The Evolution of Women’s Roles in Taiwan’s Public Transportation (Photo: Lin Si-Hou)

So, LEAP with Us on This Non-Stop Journey toward Gender Equality

Since 2019 and through the pandemic, LEAP: Voices of Youth has been determined to deliver our belief of achieving gender equality, and we are still on the go.

This year, a great leap was made as we participated in the NGOCSW68 Forum. After more than 100 stories about the strengths and struggles of Taiwanese women were presented online, we decided to deepen the connection with all the wonderful feminist partners around the world.

LEAP’s participation at the NGOCSW68 Forum (Photo: FWRPD)

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