In 1945, with the surrender of Japan at the end of World War II, the Republic of China established the Taiwan Provincial Government. After the war, Taiwan (officially the Republic of China) was governed by authoritarian rule guided by traditional Confucian values. Though the country’s constitution, drafted in 1946, declared, “All citizens of the Republic of China, irrespective of sex, religion, ethnic origin, class, or party affiliation, shall be equal before the law,” women’s roles were limited across all sectors of society. In 1949, martial law was asserted in Taiwan and would remain in effect for 38 years. Women played a vital role during this time in the country’s fight against authoritarianism with human rights advocates, Annette Lu and Chen Chu among the leaders of the pro-democracy movement who led the charge in the 1979 opposition demonstration later known as the Kaohsiung Incident. The protest is widely regarded as the turning point in the country’s eventual democratization, which also saw the six-year imprisonment of Lu and Chu for their role in the fight for social change. Both women would continue to stand up for the rights of all Taiwanese people, with Lu serving as vice president of Taiwan from 2000 to 2008, and Chu as mayor of Kaohsiung from 2006 to 2018. The end of martial law in 1987 ushered in the country’s multi-party democracy as well as the formation of women’s organizations that have continued to hold the government to account on behalf of gender equality. In 2016, Tsai Ing-Wen became the first female President of Taiwan, and the country now ranks number one in Asia in terms of female political representation with women making up 42 percent of legislators. Taiwan is also the first Asian country to legalize same-sex marriage and according to a 2019 World Bank report, it ranks eighth in the world in legal protections for female employees. However, work still remains as according to a Ministry of Health and Welfare survey nearly 20 percent of women aged 18-74 have experienced abuse by an intimate partner, with the most common form being emotional abuse. Fortunately, feminist groups such as the Modern Women Foundation, The Garden of Hope, and the Foundation for Women’s Rights Promotion and Development are providing support services for victims of domestic violence while advocating for legislation to protect the rights of women.

Despite the country’s great strides in terms of gender equality, traditional gender norms and stereotypes have historically deterred women and girls from participating in sports. Yet, female athletes have overcome the obstacles to prove they can be great international competitors. Chi Cheng became the first woman from Taiwan to win an Olympic medal when she brought home bronze in the 80m hurdles at the 1968 Mexico City Games. The national basketball team won the silver medal at the 1972 Asian Basketball Championship and are eight-time bronze medal winners. The national soccer team made the quarter-finals of the 1991 Women’s World Cup and is one of the few countries that have participated in the World Cup, without their men ever qualifying. At the 2000 Sydney Paralympic Games, Lu Li Hua became the first woman to win an individual medal when she won bronze in powerlifting. At that same Games, the women’s national table tennis team also won bronze becoming the first team to bring home a Paralympic medal. Golfer, Yani Tseng is the most decorated Taiwanese athlete. At 19 years old, she won the 2008 LPGA Championship becoming the first golfer from Taiwan to win an LPGA major championship and the youngest to ever win the tournament. Tseng was ranked number one in the Women’s World Golf Rankings in 2012 and is the youngest player (male or female) to win five major championships. She was also featured in Time magazine’s list of the “100 Most Influential People in the World” in 2012.