Does increasing the dollar figure of paid parental leave encourage more men to take such leave?
According to the results of one country following such a change, it absolutely can.
Taiwan amended legislation in 2021 to increase the rate of paid parental leave for parents from 60 per cent of their insured salary to 80 per cent, applied to previously available six months of leave. Other legislated changes included the addition of flexibility, with parents able to take off a month or more at a time, rather than having to take the full six months in one go.
The changes resulted in an immediate uptick of fathers taking leave, at 25.2 per cent of “married parents” who took leave in 2022, rising from 18.2 per cent the year before. That result saw a total of 25,100 fathers taking leave in 2022.
The changes came via amendments to the Employment Insurance Act in July 2021, and during the second term of Taiwan’s first female president, Tsai Ing-Wen, specifically aimed at promoting “gender-friendly workplaces” and encouraging more men to take part in housework and care.
The results were revealed in a paper released by Taiwan this week, 2024 Gender at a Glance in the ROC, and comes just months after Taiwan was ranked the highest in Asia and sixth globally across the 179 countries listed on the OECD Development Centre’s Social Institutions and Gender Index. Taiwan trails the well-known leaders on gender equality, including Iceland, Denmark, Norway, Switzerland and Sweden, but comes in ahead of Australia, the United States and the UK. Last year was the first time Taiwan appeared on this Index.
Taiwan boasts other impressive results according to this week’s government paper, including having 41.6 per cent of its legislature being made up of women at January’s election, although this is slightly down from the 42.5 per cent achieved following its latest 2022 legislative by-election.
Taiwan legalised same-sex marriage in May 2019, with more than 7000 men and almost 18,000 women registering for such marriages by the end of 2023.
Taiwan also introduced anti-sexual harassment laws in 2023, following a number of sexual assault claims against celebrities and other powerful figures, including within the Democratic Progressive Party, that sparked a number of resignations. The new laws saw an expansion of workplaces covered to now include those with at least 10 employees, as well as an extension on the statute of limitations. All employers covered must establish channels for sexual harassment reporting, and must then investigate all sexual harassment complaints and report findings to local authorities or face the consequence of fines.
Taiwan has been led by its first female president, Tsai Ing-wen, for the past eight years, who has been credited with leading the country successfully through the pandemic and promoting a strong Taiwanese identity separate from China. Her successor, William Lai Ching-te, was successfully elected at the presidential and legislative elections earlier this month. The president-elect has been Tsai Ing-wen’s VP since 2020 and will officially become president in May 2023.