Abstract
Abstract The aims of this article are fourfold. Firstly, the article outlines the development of the ECEC policy in Taiwan, with a principle focus on female labor force participation rates and birth rates. Secondly, it describes the different types of ECEC services in Taiwan, discussing the process of their evolution and related statistics from a historical perspective. Thirdly, it introduces two important policy initiatives undertaken in the last decade, both of which are suggestive of either a) a political paradigm shift or, b) a transformation of the role of government in Taiwan. One is “woman/family friendly policies” or policies reconciling work and family, which also include maternity and paternity leaves, parental leave, flexible working hours as well as family leave; and the other are a number of “child care friendly policies”, comprising subsidies for infant care, an early childhood education voucher program, and the Free Tuition Education Project for 5 year old Children. Finally, the authors provide a general introduction of the ECEC integration policy in Taiwan together with an analysis of possible implications resulting from the implementation of the ECEC Act.
Highlights
Information of ECEC Services in TaiwanIn the same way as many countries around the world, early childhood education and child care services in Taiwan have been managed by two separate government departments for a very long time
Declining in the birth rate The birth rate, or the numbers of new babies born each year, is another factor affecting the development of child care services and ECEC policies
It may be worth mentioning at this point that the trend in female workforce participation rates and the birth rate are moving in exactly opposite directions. These two factors are negatively correlated. This statistical relationship may imply that seeing these changes from the point of view of demand only is unable to explain the functioning of the child care service market, especially when two influential factors are in conflict with each other
Summary
The article outlines the development of the ECEC policy in Taiwan, with a principle focus on female labor force participation rates and birth rates. It describes the different types of ECEC services in Taiwan, discussing the process of their evolution and related statistics from a historical perspective. Declining in the birth rate The birth rate, or the numbers of new babies born each year, is another factor affecting the development of child care services and ECEC policies. Numbers of newborn babies in Taiwan from 1980 to 2010
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