Mind the Gap! Comparing Gender Politics in Japan and Taiwan

Abstract

Japan and Taiwan share common cultural characteristics, and their economics have developed in similar ways too. They perform equally well on educational attainment, infant mortality, and unemployment meanwhile. Yet, Japan lags far behind Taiwan when it comes to gender equality - including the significantly less prominent and active role of women in parliament in the former. The difference between the two countries in this regard can be explained by three key political factors. First, women's movements in Taiwan benefitted from the momentum created during the democratisation phase of the early 1990s. They have since become a powerful force, pushing for gender equality measures such as mandatory gender quotas. In contrast, women's movements in Japan tend to be fragmented, decentralised, or focussed only on specific issues. Second, the major center-right Kuomintang party in Taiwan has actively taken advantage of gender equality issues for electoral purposes. By contrast, in Japan the move towards greater gender equality has faced a strong backlash from various conservative forces ranging from the ruling center-right Liberal Democratic Party to right-leaning media, or even to conservative female academics. Third, the Japanese political system makes it harder to promote gender issues there compared to in the Taiwanese case. Japan's parliamentary system marginalises the role of legislators, which in turn limits female parliamentarians' efforts. Also, even if both countries have two electoral "tiers" - one to represent the district, and the other that of the political party - the latter one in Japan features a loophole, and thus has not been used to represent diverse interests within society. As the comparison shows, politics has played a significant role in creating a gap in the two countries' gender balances. Considering that Japan has continued to be highly self-conscious about its international standing, there should be constant external pressure for women's political empowerment, career advancement, and better work-life balance. Corrective measures could include the adoption of a gender quota in politics and business, or more incentives for both men and women to take parental leave.