Foreign wives showing off rice cakes they made for Korea’s Chuseok holiday in the central city of Gongju on Sept. 9, 2019. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, May 2 (Korea Bizwire) — The vast majority of immigrant women working at social welfare institutions are being discriminated against in terms of wages and career experience, a survey showed Sunday.
The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions conducted a survey of 118 immigrant women working as consultants and translators at public family centers across the country, 86.4 percent of whom (102 people) believed they face discrimination in comparison with Korean employees.
Among the respondents, 89.8 percent believed they were being paid different wages, followed by lower chances at promotion due to discrimination (49.2 percent) and employee recognition (39.8 percent).
Another 19.5 percent said they faced discrimination based on their nationality or race.
Translators and language instructors at public family centers, all of whom are married immigrants, are frustrated over the widening wage gap with other administrative staff, since regulations go no further than requiring them to be paid ‘more than the minimum wage.’
Only 11.9 percent (14 people) said were paid just like other government employees. Only half of them said they had received bonuses and stipends.
Also concerning, 37.3 percent (44 people) said that due to a lack of funding, they had to spend their own money to carry on with their public duties.
At 94.9 percent, almost all of the respondents picked ‘wages’ as an issue that needs to be addressed immediately.
Lina Jang (linajang@koreabizwire.com)
