Development must be data-driven: Taiwanese scholar Dr. Lih-Rong Wang

By Dr. Marivir R. Montebon

New York – A Taiwanese scholar and champion for gender equality emphasized the importance of researched data in advancing social justice and gender equality. Dr. Lih-Rong Wang, a scholar of social welfare expert said that “development must be data-driven.”

Wang is a professor emeritus at the Department of Social Work of the National Taiwan University and a WFWP Taiwan director. 

Wang spoke in an advocacy training workshop of the international women’s group Women’s Federation for World Peace International (WFWPI) to celebrate International Women’s History Month in New York on March 8 and 9 at the New Yorker Hotel. 

Wang serves as a director of WFWP Taiwan and a professor emeritus at the Department of Social Work of the National Taiwan University.  She has made important contributions in the field of social work, education and research. 

Wang attributes the achievements of gender equality in Taiwan to the research work the NGOs and the academe that guide legal and policy reforms. She said that policies on employment, sexual assault prevention, stalking prevention act, and the legalization of same-sex marriage were all result of rigorous research.

“Research guides us to find out the extent of social problem and it also measures the impact of the programs that we are doing to solve these problems,” she explained. 

Wang said that Taiwan has improved the salary gap of men and women by 25 percent and over the years, there is a slight increase in the life expectancy of women. 

Currently, 40 percent of Taiwan’s parliament are made up of women parliamentarians. The University of Taiwan Research Hub has noted that the Taiwanese women’s leadership in the political arena may be its most important achievement. 

Wang noted that the Taiwanese young women are “powerful and active.” She, however, noted that the women’s child-bearing age has declined.

WFWP Taiwan vice president Winnie Chao

WFWP Taiwan is engaged in life-long education and capacity building programs for women across all generations and in all sectors of society. It has received funding from the government’s Ministry of Education at the local and national levels. 

WFWP vice chairperson Winnie Chao had made an important remark during the training workshop which attests to the driving spirit of the Taiwanese woman: “We should not beg for a seat on the table. We must prove to them that we deserve a seat on the table.”

WFWP President Moriko Hori and Dr. Lih-Rong Wang

Chao noted that there is still so much to be done on the ground to further improve the conditions of women. She noted that intergenerational dialogue between the youth and the elderly is necessary to sustain their development efforts. 

WFWP president Moriko Hori lauded the Taiwan experience, citing that research could not only guide NGOs and the government to craft policies and programs appropriate for women and the society, but also bolsters the credibility of nonprofits in general. #