British Chamber research offers insights into the role of women in Taiwan’s fight for climate action

On 16 March 2023, the British Chamber of Commerce in Taipei (BCCTaipei) held the ‘Women in Business Forum: Climate Action Taiwan’ to present the findings of its cross-industry research on the status and role of women in climate action in Taiwan.

The report identifies three key suggestions for increasing female representation: more hardline governmental legislation for businesses, i.e. tax breaks to incentivise female promotion; regulations to appoint at least one female director per organisation; and more creative means to facilitate women’s entry into in-demand industries where they are underrepresented. The research also examines the wide variety of measures adopted by private organisations to tackle climate change in keeping with local policies and legislation.

The survey results show that 80% of organisations are taking steps to reduce their impact on the environment. Meanwhile, more than half (53.3%) implement specific initiatives to attract and retain female employees. With numbers of employees ranging from 1 to almost 4,700 among responding organisations, 81.9% have at least one female manager, and 65.3% have at least one woman in a director’s position or above.

Although the representation of women in Taiwan is growing, BCCTaipei’s interviews reveal barriers to gender equality: family pressures to prioritise childcare; discrimination from employers; perceptions about women’s role at work; a culture of male dominance in certain industries; a lack of investment in female-oriented training schemes; and few women pursuing university degrees in ICT and STEM fields. Another criticism is that employment policies tend to focus on pregnancy and childcare, rather than cultivating talent or promoting women to senior positions.

Director-General Tsai Lin-Yi of Taiwan’s Environmental Protection Administration (EPA), Executive Yuan, issued a statement:

“Ranked first in Asia for gender equality, Taiwan is dedicated to empowering female leadership in all areas of our society. Women’s contribution to reaching our collective goal of ‘Net-Zero by 2050’ in line with COP26 is essential for Taiwan’s future. We thank the British Chamber of Commerce in Taipei for its invaluable insights into two pressing issues facing Taiwan today.”

John Dennis, Representative of the British Office in Taipei, said:

“The UK is a leader in the renewable and clean energy sectors. Gender equality and green energy represent two core priorities for the British Government’s ‘Global Britain’ agenda, and I am delighted to see the progress made across a variety of industries in Taiwan. The UK has a profound role to play in Taiwan’s transition to clean, carbon-free energy through the development of strategic sectors such as offshore wind, and I look forward to further cooperation in the coming years.”

Carl Blundon, Chair of BCCTaipei General Committee, commented:

“In addressing one of the Chamber’s core values, the Women in Business Committee’s research offers valuable insights into women’s role in the climate debate, which have real implications for the business community and government policy. Championing gender equality is not only vital for the success of private organisations, but for all aspects of wider society in Taiwan and abroad.”

Please click here to learn more about the report.

• The event was supported by Aon, NIRAS (Gold Sponsors) and Taylor Hopkinson (Silver Sponsor).

Media Contact: 

Kathy Chan, Marketing and Member Relations Executive

Email: marketing@bcctaipei.com   Tel.: 02-2720-1919