Men submitted more applications for flexible, day-based parental leave in Taiwan during May than women did for the first time [1].
This shift indicates a potential change in domestic gender roles and workplace culture as fathers increasingly utilize government-supported childcare options. The trend follows the introduction of a child-friendly workplace policy designed to provide more versatility for working parents.
According to the Ministry of Labor, men accounted for 50.3% of parental leave requests in May [2]. This marks the first time men have outnumbered women in these applications since the specific policy took effect on Jan. 1, 2026 [1].
The current framework allows parents to take up to 30 individual days off over a two-year period [2]. The policy permits daily applications for unpaid flexible parental leave, which allows parents to manage childcare needs without resigning or taking extended blocks of time away from their jobs [2].
By allowing leave to be taken in small, fragmented increments, the system reduces the professional risk often associated with long-term absences. This flexibility has encouraged a higher volume of men to seek leave to support their families, a departure from traditional patterns where childcare was primarily the responsibility of women.
Government officials have tracked these figures since the start of the year to monitor the adoption of the child-friendly workplace initiative [1]. The data from May suggests that the barrier for men accessing these benefits is lowering as the policy becomes more integrated into the corporate environment [2].
“Men accounted for 50.3% of parental leave requests in May”
The rise in male applications suggests that flexible, short-term leave options are more accessible to fathers than traditional long-term leave. By decoupling parental support from extended absences, Taiwan is lowering the social and professional cost for men to participate in early childcare, which may gradually shift the burden of unpaid domestic labor away from women.
