With higher values indicating greater discrimination, Taiwan’s score of 9.5 puts it above fellow Asian countries like Mongolia, 15.3; South Korea, 20; Vietnam, 24.7; China, 27.6; and Japan, 28.2. Globally, only the following four nations outranked Taiwan: Belgium, 7.7; Spain and Sweden, 9.2; and Italy, 9.4.
The people of Taiwan benefit greatly from equal household responsibilities and divorce and inheritance rights, which led to a 0.3 in the category measuring discrimination in the family. To arrive at this score, the OECD assessed laws, social norms and actions to eliminate such problems as child marriage and the gender gap in unpaid care.
In the appraisal of access to productive and financial resources, Taiwan received a 6 on the strength of women’s ability to equitably obtain assets, financial services and workplace rights. Regarding civil liberties, the country scored 8.4, demonstrating that men and women have little difference in their citizenship rights, confidence in the judicial system, freedom of movement, access to justice and political voice.
According to the EY, the country’s outstanding performance beats the averages of OECD member countries,16.5; the world, 30; and Asia, 37.6. The achievement can be attributed to public-private collaboration, the EY said, adding that Taiwan will work to influence its neighboring nations.
First produced by the OECD Development Centre in 2009, the SIGI measures discriminatory social institutions in key areas that affect the lives of women and girls. This year’s data was collected from 140 countries and territories and will be provided to decision-makers, researchers, international and philanthropic organizations, and the public to support policymaking. (YCH-E)
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