The Research Network on Gender and Diversity in Political Representation (GDRep) is pleased to welcome Professor Wan-Ying YANG, Chair of the Political Science Dept, National Chengchi University, in Tokyo for a public lecture on the recent Taiwanese local elections.



* Kindly see the details below.

** An informal dinner will follow the lecture.



Kindly share with your networks.
Best wishes,



Jackie F. Steele

University of Tokyo


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Lecture: "The gendered implications of the 2018 local elections and same-sex marriage referendums in Taiwan"


Dr. Wan-Ying YANG (National Chengchi University)


WHEN: Tuesday FEBRUARY 12th, 2019 (18:00-19:30)

WHERE: Sophia University, Central Library, Room L-914


Abstract: In November 2018, the ruling party, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), suffered the biggest defeat in local elections since its national electoral victory in 2016. Ten referenda were held concurrently, with five of them relating to same-sex marriage and gay education. The referenda caused heated debates in Taiwan and were considered to have contributed to the results of the local elections. Despite the May 2017 supreme court ruling in favor of same-sex unions, the November 2018 same-sex marriage referendum was defeated. In this lecture, I will discuss this swift change in electoral competition and the implications of the referendum results in light of the changing landscape of gender in Taiwan.


Speaker Profile: Wan-Ying Yang is professor and chair of the Department of Political Science, National Chengchi University, Taiwan. She has been actively engaged in women's movements for over ten years and has served as a board member of the Awakening Foundation. Her research interests focus on identity and gender politics, women's movements, women's political participation, and democratization theory. She has published many articles on gender and identity politics published in Taiwanese and international journals.