For an Experiment in Political Affirmative Action, Look to Taiwan

The United States view of Taiwan is often through the lens of a possible conflict with China or its dominance in advanced chip manufacturing. But behind the silicon shield is a vibrant democracy of 23 million people that was the first in Asia to legalize same-sex marriage and had a voter turnout of over 70 percent in its 2024 presidential election.

It has also been running one of the world’s longest experiments in political affirmative action.

For decades, Taiwan has used quotas and reserved seats to bring women into electoral politics. Today its political representation by women is among the highest in the world, and, as new research suggests, few of them were ultimately elected based on quotas.

Women hold 42 percent of Taiwan’s legislative seats, the highest share in Asia and comparable to Nordic countries. It elected its first female president in 2016 and re-elected her four years later. It has also elected two female vice presidents since 2000.

“People often argue that elections should simply be about choosing the best and most capable,” said Chang-Ling Huang, a professor at National Taiwan University who has studied gender politics for more than 20 years. Taiwan’s experience shows that “gender quotas are precisely what allow a society to truly elect the best and the most capable.”

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/21/business/taiwan-gender-quotas.html