FORUM'Not having enough women in decision-making positions will hold Korea back'
Panelists engage in a discussion during a session of the Korea Times Forum on the theme “Toward diversity, inclusiveness and equality,” held at the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Seoul, Wednesday. From left are World Smart Sustainable Cities Organization (WeGO) Secretary-General Park Jung-sook, Ewha Womans University President Kim Eun Mee, Korean National Council of Women President Huh Myung, Canadian Ambassador to Korea Tamara Mawhinney and British Ambassador to Korea Colin Crooks. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul
Experts, envoys highlight importance of female representation in public sector
Women accounted for only 11.2 percent of high-level management positions in Korea's public sector in 2022, according to government data, significantly below the OECD average of 37 percent. Only four out of 18 Cabinet members are female, and women make up only 20 percent of the 300 members in the newly launched 22nd National Assembly.
These figures underscore the long way the Asian nation has to go to achieve equal gender representation in the public sector.
British Ambassador to Korea Colin Crooks emphasized, Wednesday, that women's participation in the public sector is imperative for developing inclusive government policies, calling for male allyship in achieving gender equality.
"Gender balance in the public sector is self-evident. Any organization providing services to the public and dealing with an uncertain world must have balanced and diverse representation to make sensible decisions," Crooks said during the Korea Times Forum themed “Toward diversity, inclusiveness and equality,” held at the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Seoul.
The envoy engaged in a discussion session on women's representation in the public sector, along with Canadian Ambassador to Korea Tamara Mawhinney, Ewha Womans University President Kim Eun Mee and Korean National Council of Women President Huh Myung. Park Jung-sook, secretary-general of the World Smart Sustainable Cities Organization (WeGO), moderated the session.
Crooks continued, "When dealing with issues like the birthrate, future pensions or economic growth, if you only have men in the room, you cannot make balanced, sensible decisions. You must have different voices and perspectives ... Not having enough women in the public sector will hold Korea back."
Kim, who currently serves as the U.N. Women Goodwill Ambassador for Korea, called for increased efforts to include more women in positions of political influence and leadership.
"We've had a woman president, and we have women ministers, but I still see that as a glass half empty. We may have had some women in leadership positions, but that doesn't change the broader pattern," she said.
Kim stated that the most fundamental way to achieve gender balance in the public sector is through legal instruments, a supportive cultural environment and equal access to education.
Mawhinney echoed this sentiment, saying, "Achieving gender equality is not only the legally right thing to do, but it's also economically and societally beneficial. If we don't achieve balanced gender representation now, it means that we have fewer role models in the future. You cannot be what you cannot see."
Huh said that gender equality is not a zero-sum game between women and men, stressing the need for active support by men.
"Addressing gender equality issues requires cooperation among the government, businesses, educational institutions and households as well," the expert said.
"Another essential element is active participation of men. Gender equality is not about taking away rights from anyone or diminishing men's rights, or excluding them. It's about empowering women to achieve equality."
The panels also discussed whether having a separate government organization dedicated to gender equality is necessary.
The role of the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family has been a topic of heated discussions here due to the Yoon Suk Yeol administration's push to abolish it. The move has drawn a strong backlash from local women's rights groups and has recently faced scrutiny from the U.N. Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW).
The Canadian envoy shared that her country has a separate entity called Women and Gender Equality Canada (WAGE) dedicated to gender equality. Elevated to ministry status in 2018 from an agency level, it plays a coordinating role in bringing the Canadian government's approach to gender inclusiveness and diversity to every department.
“It’s written into the mandate letters for every Cabinet minister in Canada that they are expected to report back to the prime minister on their successes in gender equality issues, inclusiveness and diversity," she said.
Kim observed that the government still has a lot of work to do to achieve gender equity, mentioning that women in Korea still face a "horrendous glass ceiling" in the workplace. While equality involves providing the same resources or opportunities to everyone, equity means providing tailored resources to meet individuals' specific needs and ensure that everyone can achieve the same outcome.
Huh Myung, president of the Korean National Council of Women, speaks during the Korea Times Forum in Seoul, Wednesday. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk
"If the government is really set on abolishing the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, they should change the name to 'gender equity' and continue. There's still a job that needs to be done in terms of providing differentiated opportunities," Kim said.
Meanwhile, Huh stated that Korea's gender equality ministry needs to restructure itself to better address the diverse needs of women.
"I believe that the abolition of the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family should be considered from the perspective of government efficiency," Huh said.
"Even if the ministry undergoes restructuring, the policies and projects related to gender equality currently managed by the ministry should be transferred and continued as they are."
FORUM'Not having enough women in decision-making positions will hold Korea back'
Panelists engage in a discussion during a session of the Korea Times Forum on the theme “Toward diversity, inclusiveness and equality,” held at the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Seoul, Wednesday. From left are World Smart Sustainable Cities Organization (WeGO) Secretary-General Park Jung-sook, Ewha Womans University President Kim Eun Mee, Korean National Council of Women President Huh Myung, Canadian Ambassador to Korea Tamara Mawhinney and British Ambassador to Korea Colin Crooks. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul
Experts, envoys highlight importance of female representation in public sector
Women accounted for only 11.2 percent of high-level management positions in Korea's public sector in 2022, according to government data, significantly below the OECD average of 37 percent. Only four out of 18 Cabinet members are female, and women make up only 20 percent of the 300 members in the newly launched 22nd National Assembly.
These figures underscore the long way the Asian nation has to go to achieve equal gender representation in the public sector.
British Ambassador to Korea Colin Crooks emphasized, Wednesday, that women's participation in the public sector is imperative for developing inclusive government policies, calling for male allyship in achieving gender equality.
"Gender balance in the public sector is self-evident. Any organization providing services to the public and dealing with an uncertain world must have balanced and diverse representation to make sensible decisions," Crooks said during the Korea Times Forum themed “Toward diversity, inclusiveness and equality,” held at the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Seoul.
The envoy engaged in a discussion session on women's representation in the public sector, along with Canadian Ambassador to Korea Tamara Mawhinney, Ewha Womans University President Kim Eun Mee and Korean National Council of Women President Huh Myung. Park Jung-sook, secretary-general of the World Smart Sustainable Cities Organization (WeGO), moderated the session.
Crooks continued, "When dealing with issues like the birthrate, future pensions or economic growth, if you only have men in the room, you cannot make balanced, sensible decisions. You must have different voices and perspectives ... Not having enough women in the public sector will hold Korea back."
Kim, who currently serves as the U.N. Women Goodwill Ambassador for Korea, called for increased efforts to include more women in positions of political influence and leadership.
"We've had a woman president, and we have women ministers, but I still see that as a glass half empty. We may have had some women in leadership positions, but that doesn't change the broader pattern," she said.
Kim stated that the most fundamental way to achieve gender balance in the public sector is through legal instruments, a supportive cultural environment and equal access to education.
Mawhinney echoed this sentiment, saying, "Achieving gender equality is not only the legally right thing to do, but it's also economically and societally beneficial. If we don't achieve balanced gender representation now, it means that we have fewer role models in the future. You cannot be what you cannot see."
Huh said that gender equality is not a zero-sum game between women and men, stressing the need for active support by men.
"Addressing gender equality issues requires cooperation among the government, businesses, educational institutions and households as well," the expert said.
"Another essential element is active participation of men. Gender equality is not about taking away rights from anyone or diminishing men's rights, or excluding them. It's about empowering women to achieve equality."
The panels also discussed whether having a separate government organization dedicated to gender equality is necessary.
The role of the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family has been a topic of heated discussions here due to the Yoon Suk Yeol administration's push to abolish it. The move has drawn a strong backlash from local women's rights groups and has recently faced scrutiny from the U.N. Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW).
The Canadian envoy shared that her country has a separate entity called Women and Gender Equality Canada (WAGE) dedicated to gender equality. Elevated to ministry status in 2018 from an agency level, it plays a coordinating role in bringing the Canadian government's approach to gender inclusiveness and diversity to every department.
“It’s written into the mandate letters for every Cabinet minister in Canada that they are expected to report back to the prime minister on their successes in gender equality issues, inclusiveness and diversity," she said.
Kim observed that the government still has a lot of work to do to achieve gender equity, mentioning that women in Korea still face a "horrendous glass ceiling" in the workplace. While equality involves providing the same resources or opportunities to everyone, equity means providing tailored resources to meet individuals' specific needs and ensure that everyone can achieve the same outcome.
Huh Myung, president of the Korean National Council of Women, speaks during the Korea Times Forum in Seoul, Wednesday. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk
"If the government is really set on abolishing the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, they should change the name to 'gender equity' and continue. There's still a job that needs to be done in terms of providing differentiated opportunities," Kim said.
Meanwhile, Huh stated that Korea's gender equality ministry needs to restructure itself to better address the diverse needs of women.
"I believe that the abolition of the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family should be considered from the perspective of government efficiency," Huh said.
"Even if the ministry undergoes restructuring, the policies and projects related to gender equality currently managed by the ministry should be transferred and continued as they are."