International Women's Day and women's status in South Korea
- 5 years ago
Today is International Women's Day… a global day to promote gender equality and women's rights.
South Korea also plans to mark the day.
However, for women and female workers,... statistics show they don't get a fair shake of the stick compared to their male counterparts.
Seo Bo-bin reports.
International Women's Day is celebrated every year on March 8th. South Korea has also been commemorating the date since 1985 in order to promote gender equality and women's rights. In honor of International Women's Day, here is a look at where women currently stand in Korean society.
"I can only tell you how poor female workers' rights are in South Korea and how bad the reality is for many female workers. The percentage of low wage female workers is 35-point-2 percent, the highest in the OECD. This statistic alone highlights the dire working conditions facing female workers in South Korea."
According to data, women in South Korea are forced to endure the worst working conditions out of 33 OECD countries.
As for the gender wage gap, South Korea has the largest gap in the OECD, with women earning a staggering 36 percent less than men on average.
The corporate glass ceiling is also proving almost unbreakable for women in South Korea.
Latest data shows only one out of every 100 executives at South Korea's top 30 conglomerates are women.
Only 21 women head up business groups in South Korea, representing a mere one-point-three percent of the total.
"Yes, there's still gender discrimination in employment. In such a work climate, men are all about qualifications and women who can't match them get demoted or even ousted from the company."
The Moon Jae-in administration pledged last year to make South Korean society more equal and fair.
The aim was for women to hold ten percent of high ranking government positions and a fifth of executive positions at public companies, but this goal remains elusive.
"The government isn't doing much. They are supposed to be supervising labor conditions better and that's why women's rights are not being handled properly. The government should make women's issues a priority and provide proper measures."
Gender equality and women's rights is key to South Korea's social development.
The country still has a long way to go to become an equal society, but through participation and cooperation, there's hope the situation will begin to gradually improve.
Seo Bo-bin, Arirang News.
South Korea also plans to mark the day.
However, for women and female workers,... statistics show they don't get a fair shake of the stick compared to their male counterparts.
Seo Bo-bin reports.
International Women's Day is celebrated every year on March 8th. South Korea has also been commemorating the date since 1985 in order to promote gender equality and women's rights. In honor of International Women's Day, here is a look at where women currently stand in Korean society.
"I can only tell you how poor female workers' rights are in South Korea and how bad the reality is for many female workers. The percentage of low wage female workers is 35-point-2 percent, the highest in the OECD. This statistic alone highlights the dire working conditions facing female workers in South Korea."
According to data, women in South Korea are forced to endure the worst working conditions out of 33 OECD countries.
As for the gender wage gap, South Korea has the largest gap in the OECD, with women earning a staggering 36 percent less than men on average.
The corporate glass ceiling is also proving almost unbreakable for women in South Korea.
Latest data shows only one out of every 100 executives at South Korea's top 30 conglomerates are women.
Only 21 women head up business groups in South Korea, representing a mere one-point-three percent of the total.
"Yes, there's still gender discrimination in employment. In such a work climate, men are all about qualifications and women who can't match them get demoted or even ousted from the company."
The Moon Jae-in administration pledged last year to make South Korean society more equal and fair.
The aim was for women to hold ten percent of high ranking government positions and a fifth of executive positions at public companies, but this goal remains elusive.
"The government isn't doing much. They are supposed to be supervising labor conditions better and that's why women's rights are not being handled properly. The government should make women's issues a priority and provide proper measures."
Gender equality and women's rights is key to South Korea's social development.
The country still has a long way to go to become an equal society, but through participation and cooperation, there's hope the situation will begin to gradually improve.
Seo Bo-bin, Arirang News.