The Need for a Revolutionary Discussion on the Gender Inequality That Is Plaguing South Korea

Introduction

Throughout history, South Korea has faced turmoil and poverty as a result of many wars and conflicts. Now in modern times, they are a country that leads the world in technological advancements, economic growth, and pop culture. While this nation has gained great wealth and global influence, it still suffers from a crippling epidemic of gender inequality. According to the March 2021 Global Gender Gap Report by the World Economic Forum, South Korea ranks 102 out of 156 countries in gender parity. Where a 1.00 is gender parity and a 0.00 is imparity, South Korea has a score of 0.687 (CITE). This low number shows the lack of women's participation in the economy, involvement within the workforce, and in higher positions of power and politics.

As a wealthy nation with significant global influence, they should set a high standard for gender equality yet fail too. Currently, the United Nations does not expect South Korea to reach goal five: gender equality by the year 2030. South Korea is lacking most with increasing the seats held by women in the national parliament and decreasing the gender wage gap. They are making moderate progress with the ratio of female-to-male mean years of education received and the gender gap in time spent doing unpaid work. On the other hand, the areas in which South Korea has improved are the demands for family planning satisfied by modern methods and the ratio of female-to-male labour force participation rates. (CITE)

The most apparent reasoning behind the continued difficulty with making progress towards gender equality lies in the history of South Korea. There have always been misogynistic ideals and strict gender roles that have trapped women for decades. It is only in modern times, with the help of social media and the rise of women empowerment worldwide, that the women in South Korea have started to speak up. They face numerous difficulties, from cultural stubbornness from older generations, and a resentful, feminist scared younger generation of men, the trek towards gender equality has been too slow. Without proper care, this will lead to declining fertility rates and a struggling economy. In order to advance progress with UN SDG goal five, the government of South Korea should create and enforce policies that punish discrimination on the basis of sex, in particular to the workplace environment and opportunities for women.

The Glass Ceiling

Referring to a symbolic barrier created by the male favoured hierarchy that prevents women from achieving upper-level positions and success, the glass ceiling of South Korea is the first subject that will be changed. According to the UN SDG country profile of South Korea, in 2018, only 18.6% of seats in deliberative bodies of local government were held by women. In 2020, only 17.3% of the seats in single or lower houses of parliament were held by women. Moreover, only 15.6% of senior or managerial roles are held by women. (CITE) To resolve these poor percentages, the government must hold themselves and companies accountable. In order to support women into higher positions of management, institutes should hire and promote employees based on talent and potential. This may include a blind application process in which the gender of the applicant is not disclosed nor is accessible until after hiring. Though the cultural barrier of hierarchy and sexism still stands strong, a no-tolerance policy can boost the anti-discrimination laws that exist but are not enforced. Training should be required to combat internalised sexism. Cultural history can not be an excuse against discrimination of any kind anymore.

The Luxury of Family and Declining Fertility Rates

Career women who wish to start a family face the difficulties of choosing between the two. In fear of losing their jobs or being discriminated against during pregnancy, women have now started seeing family as a luxury and choosing their careers over anything else. As a result, South Korea's fertility rate has decreased. For a population to remain stable, a fertility rate of 2.1 is necessary. This means there are on average 2.1 children born to women in their reproductive years. As of 2019, the World Bank tells us that South Korea has a fertility rate of 0.918.(CITE) This low fertility rate produces many problems, the most prominent being a growing older generation, the decline of the labour force, and a smaller population in whole. In order to prevent the rate from continuing to decline, both men and women must have access to paid maternity and paternity leave and assurance to a job at their return. Employees should also have the flexibility of switching to part-time work, with the right to return to full-time work, so that they may organise their work careers and personal lives accordingly. Another aspect that must not be overlooked by the government is the support of raising a child. This includes quality, affordable child care, after-school care, and monetary support of multiple children. Only after these benefits will we notice women being comfortable with starting their own families.

De-demonizing feminism

Feminism, at its core, ISthe ideology that women deserve full social, economic, political, and personal equality in parallel to men. However, in South Korea, the label of feminist has become demonized. This is the result of a community dominated by hierarchy, extremely misogynistic groups, and misandrist online forums. Though the constitution of South Korea protects the freedom of speech and press, there must be a limit to false information that is stirring counterproductive discourse. The government has the ability to monitor these forums and they should. Aggressive attacks from either extremist groups only causes a bigger divide in ideologies and closes the opportunity for discussions. There is no need for a term such as feminism to be demonized further nor mistaken as more than a person who believes in equal rights for all genders. Educating the public through schools, social media, and in the workplace will benefit the spread of a gender equal mindset.

The Male Response

Online forums such as Megalia have appeared in the last few years. The radical and often labeled misandrist forums are where women gather and mirror the misogynistic language utilized by anti-feminist and far-right forums like Ilbe Storage. The most recent incident that has aggravated men were advertisements which included the design of pinching fingers. Men have stated the designers of these advertisements were feminist and cohorts with the group Megalia. The Megalia group symbol is also the pinching fingers. In response to these aggressed anti-feminists, many companies have had to change their advertisements, fire the designers, and publish apologies to men. The younger generation of men have now begun to fear women and see themselves with societal disadvantages and as victims of reverse discrimination. Change has to happen on the government level as they can enforce laws that protect everyone online from aggressive misinformation and bullying that discriminates on the basis of sex or gender. Both women and men in South Korea must educate themselves on the feminist discussion through social media and in schools. With such a powerful online tool, those with influence can speak out against these discriminatory behaviours and condemn them.

Conclusion

It has been due time for South Korea to abandon the part of their culture that excuses misogynistic and sexist behaviours. It is not enough for the government to state that discrimination on the basis of sex is illegal, there must be action in enforcing such a law in the everyday lives of the people. The country has been grappling with the problem of an increasing older generation and a lack of a younger generation. One simple solution to that would be increasing the opportunities for women and to support them career wise so that if they wish to, they can start a family. Catering to the whims of me will only lead to great loss. Companies and institutions should be accountable for any discrimination or bias so that the country does not fall further into a dangerous pattern of low fertility rates. In reality, we as teenagers in a foreign country may not be able to move a culture to revolutionise but the mere act of talking about a problem, posting about it, and engaging in respectful conversations can make a difference.