Representatives of Taiwan and the Czech Republic have held a conference on women in politics and LGBT rights. The conference took place Wednesday to coincide with the launch of this year’s Prague LGBT pride week.
During the discussions, Prague Mayor Zdeněk Hřib highlighted the place of Prague and the Czech Republic at large as a place of relative freedom and equality in a region increasingly sliding towards intolerance and illiberalism.
He cited the Czech Republic’s position high on the list of EU countries in terms of narrowing the gap between men’s and women’s salaries. He also said that he signed a “free cities” agreement with the capitals of neighboring Poland, Hungary, and Slovakia pledging to uphold tolerance, social justice, and human rights.
Meanwhile, Czech politician Markéta Adamová said that women’s participation in government and politics is generally low in the Czech Republic as in other countries. She said that equal education and the ability to balance work and family life will be key in lifting the number of women on the political stage.
Meanwhile, Lin Ching-yi, a representative for one Taiwanese women’s group, highlighted the growing number of female lawmakers in Taiwan, which passed 40% after the most recent election.