Women and Leadership in Taiwan
In 2016, Taiwan elected its first woman as President, Tsai Ing-wen, accomplishing a milestone that many countries have yet to reach. Even more impressive was the fact that President Tsai did not come from a political family and did not ride to power on an inherited dynasty. Tsai’s election, coupled with Taiwan’s high rate of women representatives in the legislature, makes Taiwan an outlier in the world and especially in East Asia when it comes to gender equality in government. Taiwan’s success in incorporating women in government might lead one to conclude that gender parity in the country has been achieved. However, upon closer examination, there are many realms in which women struggle for equality and justice in Taiwanese society. To better understand the dynamics of gender in in Taiwan, the Global Taiwan Institute hosted the event Women and Leadership in Taiwan on November 8, as part of its Civil Society and Democracy series, partially funded by the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy. This event featured Jane Shih, managing director of Girls in Tech Taiwan, to Washington D.C. to speak on the technology and business sector. Also joining the panel was, Iris Shaw from TECRO, who will speak on Taiwan’s policies regarding gender equality and her own work on women’s empowerment.