In South Korea’s Boardrooms, the Glass Ceiling Is Far From Broken (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
SEOUL, Oct. 13 (Korea Bizwire) — Nearly 70 percent of South Korean workers believe it is difficult for women to become corporate executives, reflecting persistent gender inequality in the country’s workplace culture, according to a new survey.
The poll, conducted by labor rights group Workplace Gapjil 119 and research firm Global Research, surveyed 1,000 employees nationwide from July 1 to 7. At a 95 percent confidence level, the margin of error was ±3.1 percentage points.
When asked whether women in South Korea find it easy to advance to executive positions, 69.8 percent of respondents said “no.” The perception was stronger among women, with 80.3 percent agreeing, compared with 60.3 percent of men.
Respondents cited several key reasons: male-dominated corporate culture and discriminatory promotion practices favoring men (36.5 percent), the burden of pregnancy and childcare limiting female candidates (31.2 percent), and lingering bias against women’s competence and leadership (22.2 percent).
The organization also measured what it called a “Gender Discrimination Culture Index,” based on workers’ responses to 20 questions about workplace inequality. The result was 67.4 out of 100 — a D grade, indicating widespread gender bias remains entrenched in organizational systems.
Labor attorney Yeo Su-jin of Workplace Gapjil 119 criticized what she described as government backsliding on gender policy, noting that the Ministry of Employment and Labor had recently abolished its Women’s Employment Policy Division.
“Sex discrimination has become institutionalized within corporate structures,” she said. “The government must demonstrate real determination to address systemic gender inequality in the workplace.”
Ashley Song (ashley@koreabizwire.com)
