From homemakers to activists, Taiwanese women have taken to the streets to protect their democracy from Beijing’s influence. Their movement is reshaping both the nation’s politics and the meaning of civic power.
Early this summer, the streets of Taipei pulsed with energy. Thousands gathered outside the Legislative Yuan, Taiwan’s parliament, demanding accountability from lawmakers accused of being too close to China. “The members of parliament went too far; I had to do something,” said a 35-year-old woman – one among thousands of Taiwanese women that have mobilised in recent months to impeach pro-China officials. Later dubbed “the Great Recall”, this unprecedented movement marked a turning point in Taiwan’s history. Even more strikingly, for the first time, women have made up the majority of those mobilised.
According to Politis, the movement emerged from the political turmoil following Taiwan’s January 2024 presidential and legislative elections. Lai Ching-te of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), a staunch advocate of Taiwan’s independence, won the presidency. Yet the pro-China Kuomintang (KMT) secured the most seats in the unicameral parliament. The KMT, favouring closer ties with Beijing, forged an alliance with members of a new party to seize control of the legislature and swiftly passed a series of controversial laws that sparked widespread outrage. It holds a conciliatory nationalist stance toward Beijing and maintaining ties with mainland China.
In response, citizens began launching impeachment campaigns in districts represented by KMT deputies. Taiwan’s Constitution uniquely permits the recall of elected officials – and the campaign’s scale was staggering: out of the 52 KMT seats held, 31 were targeted simultaneously. The KMT denounced the movement as politically motivated interference from the ruling party and attempted to organise counter-impeachments against DPP officials, but without any success. The contrast only underscored the extraordinary nature of the grassroots uprising.
“As a Taiwanese citizen, I had to take a stand. It’s as if our democracy is under attack,” Molly, one of the movement’s key organisers tells Politis. Stylishly dressed, yet masked and wearing a beret to preserve her anonymity, Molly’s been involved since the start. Like many organisers, she was struck by the overwhelming number of women who volunteered.
Women have long played a significant role in Taiwanese politics. Nearly half of the seats in the Legislative Yuan (47 out of 113) are held by women, and female activists were central to the 2014 Student Sunflower Movement. Molly and others see their activism as part of this broader legacy of civic engagement and feminist leadership.
“In this campaign, many women are playing a leading role,” notes sociologist Ming-sho Ho, a professor at National Taiwan University. He sees the Great Recall as part of a wider social shift towards gender parity and a demand for new political voices.
“Women in general have a heightened awareness of threats because they already have to ensure their daily safety in a patriarchal society,” explains Wen Liu, a research associate at the Sinica Academy’s Institute of Ethnology. “Many of these female volunteers are not young. They are mothers, between 35 and 50 years old,” she adds.
Among them is Peiyging, a 52-year-old homemaker, getting involved in politics for the first time. “I’m involved because I’m a mother of three. We have to mobilise because it’s our duty, because it’s the country we have to protect. We’re in a very dangerous situation,” she tells Politis.
“The campaign has allowed us to create a space,” Molly hopes. Whatever happens, they all affirm that they will continue to act to protect Taiwan. For Molly and her peers, the Great Recall is about more than removing corrupt officials, it’s about reclaiming ownership of Taiwan’s democracy. In standing up to both political complacency and the shadow of Beijing, these women have turned outrage into action and anxiety into agency. Whatever the outcome, their movement has already redrawn the boundaries of civic engagement in Taiwan.
Original article ‘À Taïwan, les femmes écrivent l’histoire’ by Aurélie Loek was published in French by Politis on 3 September 2025.
It is available here.
Politis is a weekly left-wing “anti-capitalist” French news magazine published in Paris.
