(image: Pixabay)
SEOUL, May 20 (Korea Bizwire) — The state human rights watchdog on Thursday ruled that a dating app policy that only allows men from certain schools or occupations to join the app fails to amount to an act of discrimination.
The National Human Rights Commission announced that it had turned down the complaint that it is discriminatory for a certain matchmaking app to accept male members based on their educational background or occupation.
The dating app, released in 2015, accepts male members with a stable job, profession or education background from prestigious schools.
There are no restrictions on female members and they can decide not to disclose information about their occupation or annual salary.
“The dating app has different requirements for male and female members since the service it provides differs by gender,” the committee said.
“Male members exceed the number of female members by a factor of 3.5, and the restrictions are put in place to level the unequal number of male and female members.”
The watchdog pointed out that the app does not use race, height, nationality or other unchangeable factors as a tool of restriction.
“Finding a date or a marriage partner is a subjective and personal process, and our society decides upon the likings of a partner based on a variety of conditions and factors,” it said.
“One’s occupation and educational background can be earned through one’s efforts, a strong indicator of one’s ability, attitude towards life, diligence, and income. These factors should be seen as a personal matter that must be respected to the fullest.”
The committee, however, also expressed a view that it is desirable to improve membership requirements that aren’t based on gender or educational background.
H. M. Kang (hmkang@koreabizwire.com)
