Gender – Page 3 – Taiwan Insight

#MeToo Movement in Taiwan: Reconfiguring the Intimate Life

21 August 2023 Adrian Chiu

Written by Mei-Hua Chen. #MeToo movement has been claimed as a global movement that connects women in the global North and the global South. Nonetheless, the MeToo movement must always confront various local social, economic, and cultural relations when it spreads across the globe. It also demands social, legal, and even material infrastructures to materialise. Global South countries that fail to deliver the MeToo movement might relate to the lack of efficient internet infrastructure and the taboo of talking about sex in public (e.g. Bangladesh), freedom of speech (e.g. China), or severe social stratification such as India in which the MeToo movement only circulated among the rich and well-educated elite women.

What have we learned from the still-unfolding #MeToo movement in Taiwan?

18 August 2023 Adrian Chiu

Written by Weiting Wu. The flames of Taiwan’s #MeToo movement have provided new opportunities to reflect on Confucian and patriarchal influences throughout society. To do so, however, Taiwan must act and work in solidarity to address the long-repressed suffering of #MeToo victims. Then, the transgender population, ethnic minorities, senior citizens, people with disabilities, and so on, may finally have the power to seek their justice.

Has the #MeToo Wave Passed in Taiwan?

16 August 2023 Adrian Chiu

Written by Brian Hioe. A short two months after a wave of #MeToo cases swept across the Taiwanese political landscape, it proves a question as to whether there have been genuine changes in social attitudes in the aftermath of these cases. Certainly, there has been no shortage of commentary on the matter, and the legislature responded by passing amendments to Taiwan’s “Three Gender Equality laws.” But whether there are lasting changes remains to be seen.

After #MeToo, where does Taiwan go?

14 August 2023 Adrian Chiu

Written by Shan-Jan Sarah Liu. Five years after the global #MeToo movement began, Taiwan has finally started its own. It began with a wave of sexual assault claims against several members of Taiwan’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP). While those alleged in the DPP have resigned, these claims led to allegations against others beyond the political sphere. Since May, more than 100 politicians, activists, intellectuals, and celebrities have been called out for their misconduct. The #MeToo movement has garnered much media attention and has been discussed widely.

The Green Party Taiwan’s Achievements and Challenges in Promoting Gender Equality

11 August 2023 Adrian Chiu

Written by Wang Yan-han, Dafydd Fell and Peng Yen-wen. Founded in January 1996, Green Party Taiwan (GPT) was the first Green Party to be established in Asia. It is one of the oldest movement parties in Taiwan, created through the efforts of student activists and several civil society groups, including activists from the eco-feminist Homemakers United Foundation. One of the main reasons Taiwan has made such impressive progress in the realm of gender equality has been due to civil society activism. Since Green Parties operate on the boundaries between civil and political society, an examination of the GPT’s case can bring a different perspective on Taiwan’s achievements and challenges in the realm of gender equality.

From Tradition to Institutionalisation: The Development of the Postnatal Care Centres Industry in Taiwan

3 July 2023

Written by Amélie Keyser-Verreault. In Chinese culture, the tradition of yuezi (月子) or the practice of postpartum care for the mother, is a longtime established practice. In Taiwan, this practice underwent and continues to undergo the vicissitudes of social and interpersonal relationship changes. Before the 1970s, the birth rate in Taiwan was extremely high, and the idea of “more children, more grandchildren, more good fortune” (多子多孫多福氣) was widely accepted. The large family size also meant sufficient human resources for agricultural-related field labour. The practices of yuezi were already crucial at that time. Mothers in the postpartum period had some privileges like a long rest and special food, particularly meals containing meat like chicken, a precious food at that time.

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