{"id":2196085,"date":"2022-05-12T19:02:58","date_gmt":"2022-05-12T10:02:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nknews.org\/pro\/?p=2196085"},"modified":"2023-04-05T16:12:24","modified_gmt":"2023-04-05T07:12:24","slug":"how-can-south-korea-matter-more-in-the-world-by-improving-gender-equality","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2022\/05\/how-can-south-korea-matter-more-in-the-world-by-improving-gender-equality\/","title":{"rendered":"How can South Korea matter more in the world? By improving gender equality."},"content":{"rendered":"

One of the most heated pledges South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol made on the campaign trail was to abolish the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family (MOGEF). While his transition committee appeared to <\/span>walk back<\/span><\/a> that pledge after Yoon\u2019s election win, the new president\u2019s commitment to gender equality and representation remains unconvincing.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

But South Korea cannot become the \u201c<\/span>global pivotal state<\/span><\/a>\u201d Yoon has promised without addressing the massive economic and social challenges that half of the country faces every day. In nearly every measurable way, South Korea ranks at or near the bottom in terms of <\/span>gender equality<\/span><\/a> in the developed world.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A significant development throughout South Korea\u2019s recent presidential election was the increased polarization and politicization of <\/span>gender issues<\/span><\/a>, partially driven by Yoon\u2019s laconic, <\/span>two-word statement<\/span><\/a> calling for the gender ministry\u2019s abolition in January. His rationale, he later <\/span>explained<\/span><\/a>, was that the name of the ministry in Korean \u2013 Yeoseonggajokbu (\uc5ec\uc131\uac00\uc871\ubd80) \u2013 reinforces the gender divide.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Yoon successfully <\/span>courted young male voters<\/span><\/a> who felt overlooked by existing gender equality policies, arguing that many young voters view them as unfair and conferring \u201c<\/span>preferential treatment<\/span><\/a>\u201d to women. Exit polls reflected the salience of <\/span>gender polarization<\/span><\/a>:\u00a0 58.7% of men in their 20s voted for Yoon, while 58% of women in the same age group opted for Lee Jae-myung, who lost to Yoon by a razor-thin margin.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

But Yoon is not the first South Korean politico to pledge to abolish the MOGEF. The ministry was <\/span>renamed and re-grouped three times<\/span><\/a> in the first nine years after its founding in 2001, due in part to then-President Lee Myung-bak\u2019s desire to <\/span>scrap it<\/span><\/a>. Women\u2019s rights groups and the Democratic Party have stood in the way of such efforts, however. <\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"

Mi-Ran Jang of South Korea competes during the women’s +75kg event at the London 2012 Olympic Games Weightlifting competition | Image:\u00a0Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism<\/a> (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0<\/a>)<\/p><\/div>\n

GENDER MINISTRY REFORM?<\/b><\/p>\n

Politics aside, many Koreans still view MOGEF as an ineffective governmental body. One public survey in Dec. 2020 found that 72.3% of respondents thought the ministry was <\/span>poorly managed<\/span><\/a>. However, the survey likely reflects a poor understanding of MOGEF\u2019s basic budget and portfolio of responsibilities.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Just 0.2% of government spending goes to the gender ministry, or about <\/span>$1.1 billion<\/span><\/a> out of the $475.8 billion annual budget. Of this, MOGEF spends 61.9 percent on family-related policies, focusing especially on single-parent households.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

MOGEF\u2019s 300 or so employees support not only women but multicultural families and individuals with disabilities as well. Thus, to suggest that the ministry is somehow conspiring to tilt the playing field in favor of women does not reflect reality.<\/span><\/p>\n

If Yoon aims to create a fairer and more just society, he needs to reconsider his framing of the gender equality issue. Instead of treating gender equality as an issue to be debated and improved by society, Yoon has thus far deepened divisions across gender and age groups by implying that MOGEF is an impediment to a fair society.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Throughout his campaign, for example, Yoon cast his pledge to abolish the MOGEF as a wider effort to create a \u201c<\/span>fair society<\/span><\/a>\u201d for young citizens to which all South Koreans can relate. Yoon\u2019s proposed <\/span>policies on gender equality<\/span><\/a> were condensed to focus only on reducing discrimination in the workforce and increasing child support.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

With regard to political cleavages, Yoon continues to point to MOGEF\u2019s \u201cmishand(ling)\u201d of sexual harassment cases by Democratic Party officials as <\/span>justification<\/span><\/a> for the Ministry\u2019s ineffectiveness, even after the election.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Contrast this with his predecessor, Moon Jae-in. During the 2017 election, Moon openly embraced the \u201c<\/span>feminist president<\/span><\/a>\u201d label and made <\/span>improving<\/span><\/a> gender equality a top agenda item on the campaign trail, promising to promote better work-life balance and reduce instances of sexual abuse.<\/span><\/p>\n

INTERNATIONAL NORMS AND STANDARDS<\/b><\/p>\n

Yoon should look to other advanced democracies, in particular the U.S., for lessons on gender equality and upward mobility for women. For example, after Kamala Harris became the first-ever Madam Vice President, Washington released its inaugural <\/span>national strategy on gender equity and equality<\/span><\/a> and established the <\/span>White House Gender Policy Council (GPC)<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The Council oversees numerous <\/span>agenda items<\/span><\/a> related to gender equality including economic security, violence and education, and pays \u201cparticular attention to the barriers faced by women and girls.\u201d The Biden administration has similarly proposed that U.S. partners consider its statement on gender equality as a <\/span>roadmap for greater cooperation and prosperity<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

With Yoon so eager to refortify and expand deeper ties with the U.S., he should relinquish his current politics of division and incorporate gender equality as an issue that concerns the whole of Korean society, and promote the idea that better gender equality makes South Korea a more capable U.S. ally.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This will require more than changing the name of MOGEF and redistributing its duties to other divisions. First, Yoon needs to allow MOGEF to get properly settled after the presidential transition. It would also help to educate the public on why policies directed toward women are for the fairness of the whole society, instead of inciting divisions along gender, age and political lines.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Finally, an increasing number of women need to be placed in leadership positions; precious few have been selected by Yoon for any sort of significant position in his administration. These steps will help South Korea disassociate itself from its poor reputation as the\u201c<\/span>rock bottom<\/span><\/a>\u201d of the glass ceiling.<\/span><\/p>\n

Yoon\u2019s position on gender equality will either help or hinder his desire to promote South Korea into a \u201cglobal pivotal state.\u201d Gender equality is intrinsic to South Korea\u2019s value as a developed democracy and a middle power. Politicizing the issue will not help move the nation forward, but keeping up with international standards will.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Edited by Arius Derr<\/em><\/p>\n

Inter-Korean & Foreign Relations<\/span><\/a><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

One of the most heated pledges South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol made on the campaign trail was to abolish the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family (MOGEF). While his transition committee appeared to walk back that pledge after Yoon\u2019s election win, the new president\u2019s commitment to gender equality and representation remains unconvincing.\u00a0 But South Korea […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3665,"featured_media":2196088,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[28],"yoast_head":"\nHow can South Korea matter more in the world? 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