Women in Politics
 The
participation of women in politics is a fundamental act involving the
right to vote and be elected to political office. During the Revolution
of 1911, women in China began demanding the right of political participation;
a right they finally were granted by legislation passed by the Kwangtung
Provincial Assembly in 1911. With the legal road thus paved, 10 women
were soon elected as provincial council members, thus becoming the first
women politicians not only in China, but in all of Asia. From those
pioneering days, women's participation in the nation's politics has
steadily grown to become a formidable force.
Today, women are guaranteed a certain number of seats in representative bodies by stipulations in the Public Officials Election and Recall Law. Yet even without these minimum quotas, female candidates have enjoyed tremendous success at the polls, defeating beating their male rivals for office. Clearly women exercise a considerable influence on politics in the ROC today. On March 18, 2000, Ms. Hsiu-lien Annette Lu was elected the ROC's first woman vice president.
 
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