1 in 4 South Koreans Sense Gender Inequality - Building Gender Balanced Business

• A quarter of South Koreans report that gender inequality is a problem in the country.

• And among those who did, sexual discrimination and limited opportunities in business ranked behind concerns about safety at night. Promotions, wages and nurturing costs followed.

• The findings came in research by the Ministry of Gender Equality, surveyed 708 people from 15 different regions who are over age 19. It found that 25.3% of respondents said women and men were not treated equally in Korean society, according to Representative Lim Doo-sung of the governing Grand National Party.

• Among those who had an opinion, 36.3% said that enabling a more reasonable work-life balance would address inequality, while 26.6% suggested expanding social and cultural activities for women. Behind those preferences came closing the gender wage gap and then banning workplace discrimination.

• The Global Gender Gap Report 2008 ranked Korea 108th among the 130 countries surveyed, and it has been falling in the rankings for years.

• The female employment rate was 48.9% in 2007. In a Korean Women’ s Development Institute report, almost 60% of women surveyed reported feeling inferior to men, with nearly half saying childcare was the biggest barrier to employment.

The Korea Herald report