Premier Su lauds Taiwan’s progress in child care, gender equality

2021/04/28

The government is committed to easing the financial burden of child care as part of efforts to keep Taiwan on the fast track toward achieving gender equality, according to Premier Su Tseng-chang April 26.
 
Measures aimed at raising the country’s birthrate while fostering an environment free of discrimination and prejudice are paying dividends, Su said. This is evidenced by Taiwan’s top ranking in Asia and sixth globally in a Cabinet-produced report issued earlier in the year based on data used to compile the latest U.N. Gender Inequality Index, he added.
 
Su made the remarks during a meeting of the Cabinet-level Gender Equality Committee in Taipei City.
 
Since President Tsai Ing-wen took office in May 2016, Su said, she has made lifting Taiwan’s fertility rate a top policymaking priority. Standout steps in this regard include increasing monthly child care subsidies for households with children under the age of five to NT$5,000 (US$180) in 2022, and related budget allocations rising from NT$15 billion in 2016 to NT$85 billion in 2023, he added.
 
Complementary initiatives in the pipeline include increasing financial support for those having pregnancy checkups and infertility treatment, as well as relaxing regulations and rules for parental leave without pay and flexible working hours, Su said. The government will continue rolling out programs enabling the people to strike a healthy work-life balance conducive to having children and raising families, he added.
 
Su also singled out Taiwan’s public and private sectors for praise, describing them as exemplars in safeguarding the well-being of women and sharing the country’s experiences with the international community.
 
Outstanding examples, Su said, are an anti-stalking draft bill approved in early April by the Cabinet and a women’s economic empowerment webinar staged last month by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and nongovernmental organizations as per the spirit of the 65th session of the U.N. Commission on the Status of Women.
 
No stone will be left unturned in creating societal conditions for the optimal happiness of the people, and ensuring Taiwan remains a globally celebrated beacon of freedom, democracy and human rights.


Source: Taiwan Today (https://taiwantoday.tw/index.php)