Taipei: The government remains dedicated to promoting “a more friendly and freer environment” for every individual in society, President Lai Ching-te said on Saturday as he marked International Women’s Day.

According to Focus Taiwan, Lai emphasized the government’s continued efforts to build a more inclusive environment through gender mainstreaming, a process that integrates gender perspectives into policies and programs to foster equality. Taiwan has made notable progress in this area, ranking first in Asia and sixth globally in the OECD’s Social Institutions and Gender Index in 2023.

Lai highlighted Taiwan’s achievements, such as having the highest proportion of female lawmakers in Asia. He also noted that women constitute a majority of employees in the Executive Yuan, its affiliated agencies, and educational institutions. Furthermore, Taiwan has partnered with allies to develop women’s empowerment programs, supporting women in enhancing their employment skills and pursuing their aspirations.

Despite these advancements, President Lai faced criticism from women’s groups for not fulfilling his campaign promise to appoint women to one-third of Cabinet positions. As of now, nine out of 44 Cabinet-level officials and two of 14 ministry heads are women. This marks a slight increase from the previous Cabinet under Lai’s predecessor, Tsai Ing-wen, where seven out of 43 Cabinet members were women.