According the 'glass-ceiling index' that England periodical The Economist published on March 5 for International Women's Day (March 8), South Korea may still be a disadvantageous place for the female workforce.
The study took into account 29 countries in the OECD, and among these nations, South Korea placed last in environment for working women which indicates that even though it is a modernized, developed nation, it still falls vastly behind when it comes to female representation in the workforce.
European nations such as Norway, Sweden, and Finland topped the list as they have the more women in the workforce as compared to men, small pay gaps between men and women, and the largest number of highly educated women compared to their male counterparts.
The pay gap in South Korea was as large as 36.7%, which is more than double that of the OECD average, and women who are part of the board membership only accounted for 2.1% in South Korea as compared to the OECD average of 18.5%.
Though South Korea's 16.1 weeks of paid paternity leave is 4.3 weeks higher than the OECD average, The Economist came to the conclusion that this gap is attributed to "ageing populations and shrinking labour forces."
Log in to comment