Government to continue promoting gender equality: Lai

Taipei, March 8 (CNA) The government remains dedicated to promoting "a more friendly and freer environment" for every individual in society, President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) said on Saturday as he marked International Women's Day.

In a social media post, Lai said the government would continue working to build "a more friendly and freer environment" for every individual in society by adhering to the concept of gender mainstreaming.

Gender mainstreaming is the process of integrating a gender perspective into policies and programs with the aim of fostering gender equality.

Lai said Taiwan has made strides in promoting gender equality, noting that the country ranked first in Asia and sixth globally in the OECD's Social Institutions and Gender Index in 2023.

In addition, Taiwan has the highest proportion of female lawmakers in Asia, the president said.

He also pointed out that women make up a majority of employees in the Executive Yuan, its affiliated agencies and schools.

According to Lai, Taiwan has also collaborated with its allies to implement women's empowerment programs, helping women in those countries enhance their employment skills and pursue their aspirations.

However, Lai was called out by women's groups for not fulfilling his presidential campaign pledge to have one-third of Cabinet positions filled by women when he took office last May.

Currently, nine out of 44 Cabinet-level officials and two of 14 ministry heads are women, whereas in the last Cabinet of Lai's predecessor Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) seven out of 43 Cabinet members were women.