President Ma Ying-jeou on the morning of October 27 was invited to attend and deliver remarks at the opening of the International Conference on Woman Scientists. The president, on behalf of the government and people of the ROC, extended a warm welcome to the woman scientists who have come to Taiwan to participate in the conference, and he also expressed his best wishes for a successful meeting.
President Ma said that attending this conference are female scientists from the United States, Canada, Australia, India, Mainland China, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, and the Philippines. The keynote speaker at the conference will be Dr. Evelyn Fox Keller from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, who is the author of the books The Century of Gene and A Feeling for the Organism. The president commented that prior to the opening of the conference, a special meeting was held between senior female scientists and young scientists. This special meeting has provided a wonderful opportunity for the older and younger female scientists to exchange experiences. Meanwhile, discussions at the conference are addressing the problems and difficulties facing women who make a lifelong career in scientific research.
President Ma cited a report that appeared in the Yale Daily News on May 1 of this year, saying that over the past 40-odd years, the percentage of woman involved in scientific research as a percentage of the total number of people involved in such research has risen from 3% to 20%. In Taiwan, the percentage of women in the scientific research community has increase to 19.5% in 2006 from 18.3% in 2002. The president furthermore noted that 6.3% of approved applications related to the Executive Yuan's National Science Council's Outstanding Research Award are from women, which is higher than the 5.7% success rate from male applicants. This demonstrates that the quality of research carried out by women is higher than that of their male counterparts, he said. However, President Ma said it is undeniable that women still make up a minority of the people involved in scientific research.
President Ma stressed the government fully supports the participation of women in science. He said the government has put in place various measures and stresses gender equality policies. For instance, the government emphasizes the understanding of gender mainstreaming and equal education opportunities. It encourages the nurturing of females with high potential and stresses balanced distribution of educational resources, he said. In addition, the president said, the government plans on enacting a gender equality law in order to comply with clauses of the United Nation's Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. He said this will help eliminate the traditionally negative impression of women in the workplace. Moreover, in terms of social welfare, the government will also review the care and services it provides to children and the elderly. It will work to develop a care industry and establish community and social support systems, he said. President Ma said that the ROC government already takes into consideration gender equality issues in the process of designing various policies and also carries out gender impact assessments. The government, he said, is integrating gender budgets from various agencies, which will help eliminate obstacles and prejudice against women involving in scientific research. All of these measures are aimed at creating a research environment that emphasizes diversity, tolerance and freedom, he said.
President Ma also noted that we should provide women with more space so that they can display their talents and maximize their potential. Creating such an environment will encourage even more women to engage in scientific-related work, he said. The president said that the research achievements made by female scientists will ultimately make a contribution to the nation and society, making science and technology an important drive to raise wellbeing for humankind.