Convenience Store Posting Misogynistic Phrase 'Ottoke Ottoke'
"Not Compatible with Feminists"...Rejected in Cafe Interview
Expert: "Reveals Attitude Excluding Women Who Raise Issues"
A job posting for a part-time convenience store position in Seoul that sparked controversy over gender discrimination. Photo by Online Community
[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Juhee] A convenience store owner in Seoul has sparked controversy by posting a part-time job recruitment notice requiring applicants to be "non-feminists." The convenience store headquarters stated that they are "considering strong sanctions" against this store, but the gender discrimination controversy has yet to subside.
It has been pointed out that cases still exist where prejudices against women's appearances or questions that seem to verify certain ideologies are used to block women's entry into the labor market.
Experts emphasized that the phrase "non-feminists wanted" can be interpreted as excluding women who raise issues, especially those who object to unfair treatment or gender-based violence due to their gender, and that administrative guidance is needed for such recruitment notices.
Recently, a part-time job recruitment notice titled "Hiring weekend workers (Sat-Sun)" was posted on a job search site for a convenience store. The problem was the content specified in the application qualifications. The qualifications included the condition that "minors cannot apply due to the sale of alcohol and cigarettes," along with the phrase "non-feminists only."
The owner also wrote under the section "Do not apply if you fall under the following" the phrase "passive and 'ottoke ottoke' type." "Ottoke ottoke" is a variation of "eotteoke," meaning "what to do." It describes a state of being unable to respond in an urgent situation and is used in online communities as a derogatory expression toward women.
Once this fact became known, netizens flooded with criticism calling it a "gender-discriminatory notice revealing prejudice against women." One netizen said, "Displaying hatred in a work-related space like this is outrageous," adding, "As long as the part-timer is not late and works well, what does it matter if they are a feminist?"
Another netizen criticized, "I was shocked that discrimination was openly displayed like this," and said, "Do they not realize that true power is not even showing the slightest consideration? If that's the case, that convenience store should write that they do not accept feminist customers either."
Convenience store stock photo. The photo is not related to any specific expression in the article. / Photo by Yonhap News
There was another case recently where a candidate was subjected to ideological verification by being asked feminist-related questions during an interview. On the 23rd of last month, a post appeared on Twitter where a person lamented that they were rejected from a part-time job at a cafe in Ilsan because they identified as a feminist.
The author, A, who said they had short hair and did not wear makeup, opened up by saying that the male owner told them, "Since this is the first interview, let's 'bare' our faces and talk," asking them to remove their mask. Looking back, A thought it was probably to check whether they were wearing makeup or not.
A continued, "When I mentioned that I had experience working at a vegan cafe, the owner suddenly asked, 'What do you think is the commonality between veganism and feminism?'"
When A answered, "Thinking about the environment and acting for a better world," the owner asked again, "Are you a feminist?" When A said "yes," the owner replied, "Actually, I don't align well with feminists," indicating an intention to reject the hire.
When a startled A asked, "Do you refuse feminist customers?" the owner replied, "I don't refuse them because they are feminists, but I think I would dislike it," A said.
Besides this, posts on SNS and elsewhere frequently report female applicants being asked questions or criticized about their appearance during interviews or being rejected because they are feminists.
Some argue that these cases reveal that prejudiced perceptions of women's appearance and roles remain serious and expose the deeply rooted "gender discrimination in hiring" in society.
According to a survey conducted by Saramin last September targeting 489 companies, 60.7% answered that the applicant's gender affects hiring decisions, with the preferred gender being "male" (70.9%) more than twice as much as "female" (29.1%). Among 1,732 job seekers, 21.1% said they had experienced gender-conscious questions during interviews, with women (30.4%) experiencing such questions more than men (9.6%).
Experts emphasized the need for labor inspectors to provide administrative guidance on recruitment notices that may appear discriminatory.
Gumi Young, a research fellow at the Korean Women's Development Institute, said, "'Non-feminists wanted' can be interpreted as not wanting women who raise issues, especially those who object to unfair treatment or gender violence based on gender," adding, "Such statements go against the purpose of the 'Equal Employment Opportunity Act' and the National Human Rights Commission Act, raising concerns that it reflects a prejudiced perception that women who raise issues and question are unsuitable employees, and that obedient women are suitable."
She continued, "Current laws may be interpreted as only prohibiting hiring conditions based on appearance, physical conditions, or marital status. There are limitations in applying the law to recruitment notices that contain stereotypes about women or prohibit raising issues about gender discrimination. There is a need for interpretations or legal provisions that broadly include such cases as gender discrimination. Administrative guidance by labor inspectors is also necessary for such recruitment notices," she emphasized.
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