The government’s plan to introduce a 10-20 percent quota for women in senior level government positions and public institutions does not go far enough to effect a real change in gender inequality in Korea.

Europe has a problem with gender inequality in the workplace -- women do not seem to receive the same salary as men for doing the same job. Figures released in October show this gap to be an average of 16 percent across the entire EU. Last week the European commission responded to this problem by announcing a push to introduce a 40 percent quota for women on company boards, both public and private. This, of course, will not be easy to implement, especially in the private sector, but is a meaningful step toward true gender equality in the workplace, putting down a marker that at least has the power to shame companies with few female executives.

Compared to the EU, Korea has a far more serious problem with gender inequality in the workplace. The numbers make for depressing reading, Korea ranks 32nd out of 33 Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development countries with regard to gender equality at work. The gender pay gap in Korea is one of the highest in the OECD at around 36 percent (OECD average 16 percent), female employment rate is around 53 percent (OECD average 70 percent) and the number of women in managerial positions a mere 10.5 percent (OECD average 37 percent). Further up the ladder, only 2.5 percent of seats in boardrooms are held by women in Korea.

Against this background, the proposals announced by the government on Tuesday to tackle this issue are very disappointing. Its aim is to have 10 percent of senior level government positions and 20 percent of executive positions in public institutions held by women by 2022. There are also a few other guidelines for public institutions that barely deserve a mention here. Some would argue this is a step in the right direction, and of course, it is, but it is progress at a glacial rate.

It would have been overly optimistic to have expected a proposal in line with the EU’s 40 percent, but guaranteeing a pitiful 10-20 percent representation for a group that makes up 50 percent of the population is simply embarrassing and shows a complete lack of courage to effectively tackle the issue. When we are also reminded that these measures only apply to public institutions, which the government has full control over, whereas the EU’s 40 percent applies to all companies, both public and private, they become even more farcical.

Would 20-30 percent representation have really been too much to ask for?

It could be argued that Korean culture is different to the EU. Women traditionally quit work here after childbirth and never return. But therein lies the other issue here.

These measures are about gender equality, but they also are motivated by the struggle with Korea’s aging population and its fight to raise the critically low birthrate of the country (around 1.25 children per women). The population will soon start to shrink and Korea’s economy with it; like Japan, Korea is desperate to keep its women in the workplace. Part of the reason women are not having babies in Korea is due to their lack of career prospects after having one.

Ambitious women would be advised to give up becoming a parent in this country, as the prospects of even returning to their previous job in a full-time capacity, never mind reaching a senior position, are slim. This will not change when boardrooms and management positions are dominated by middle-aged men who, more often than not, believe a mother’s place is at home with her children.

This is a point worth emphasizing, the representation of women at senior levels is not just about the people at the top, it is about the status of women at all levels in a company, as the people at the top naturally make the decisions which affect all members of the company. Why should women’s prospects at work -- higher salaries, more promotions -- change for the better when only 10 to 20 percent of their bosses share their gender? Are such measures really going to encourage people to have more children or stay in the workplace?

A report by PricewaterhouseCoopers earlier this year estimated that, at the current pace, the gender pay gap in Korea will take over 100 years to close. The government’s proposals have likely shaved a few years off that timetable, but it is simply not good enough.


By James Copeland

James Copeland is a professor of law at Hongik University. -- Ed.