Gender Pay Gap Persists in Taiwan Despite Growing Wages

TaiwanPlus News

September 18 is International Equal Pay Day, which celebrates the fight to achieve equal pay for equal work. Yet a new survey conducted by Taiwan's government reveals a persistent gender pay gap despite an overall increase in the average wage.

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00:00It is International Equal Pay Day, aimed at eliminating economic gender inequality.

00:05But new government figures in Taiwan reveal a persistent gap in what men and women are paid.

00:10Salaries have risen on average by 2.6 percent since the beginning of this year.

00:15But many women say the growth has not benefited them.

00:30It has become less and less good.

00:32A recent government survey revealed that overall wage growth this year was the highest in four years.

00:37The median monthly salary in Taiwan now stands at slightly over 1,160 U.S. dollars.

00:43For men, it's over 1,210 U.S. dollars per month.

00:47But for women, that figure is less than 1,100 U.S. dollars per month, a difference of over 9 percent.

00:54Some say there is a gap in earnings because many industries are split along gender lines.

00:59In high-tech industries, there are more male employees.

01:03In low-tech industries, there are more female employees.

01:07Naturally, there is a significant gap in the salary of men and women.

01:11Gender equality activists say women face systemic obstacles in the workforce.

01:15One of those is the societal expectation for them to be the primary caregiver in a family.

01:21This leads many women to work in the informal economy or freelance.

01:25Most non-typical laborers are more flexible.

01:29But their wages are not as good.

01:33So you can see that some women's economic ability is worse than that of men

01:41because our gender role division is still very obvious.

01:44And as gender roles persist in Taiwan, the worry is that so will the gender pay gap,

01:50despite the country's growing wages,

01:52highlighting an ongoing fight in Taiwan and across the world to achieve equal pay for equal work.

01:58Ryan Wu and Wessie Lewis for Taiwan Plus.

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