Joeunhee: "Ministry of Gender Equality and Family Should Be Reformed into a Deputy Prime Minister-Level Agency Dedicated to Low Birthrate, Not Abolished"

The Ministry of Gender Equality's 1-Year Budget Is Only 0.2% of the Total Budget
Less Than Seoul Metropolitan Government's Women and Family Policy Office

Jo Eun-hee, Seocho District Mayor

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunju Lee] Jo Eun-hee, Mayor of Seocho District, stated on the 2nd, "The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family (MOGEF) should be completely revamped by elevating its functions and status to a Deputy Prime Minister level."

On the same day, through her Facebook, Mayor Jo said, "MOGEF recently delayed responding to hate speech against the wife of candidate Yoon Seok-yeol and the controversy surrounding archery gold medalist An San, which has reignited debates about its abolition," adding, "We need to redesign it based on Germany's 'Federal Ministry for Family Affairs' model to take responsibility for and solve the era's challenges of low birth rates and population cliff."

Mayor Jo pointed out that it is not that MOGEF is unnecessary, but that it has failed to fulfill its role to the extent that the public questions its reason for existence. She said, "It is difficult for MOGEF to be free from criticism that it has caused the public to perceive gender issues negatively," and added, "MOGEF has been ignored by the public due to selectively and politically handling issues." She also mentioned that MOGEF remained silent during recent controversies, including sexual crimes by former mayors Park Won-soon and Oh Keo-don, only issuing statements after public criticism.

Instead of abolishing MOGEF, Mayor Jo emphasized that it should be reborn as a ministry playing a leading role in the era of low birth rates and population cliff. She argued, "Rather than simply abolishing MOGEF, its functions and status should be elevated to a Deputy Prime Minister level to serve as a control tower comprehensively addressing the era's challenges of low birth rates and population cliff," and insisted that the MOGEF organization should be expanded and reorganized. MOGEF's 2021 budget was 1.2423 trillion won, accounting for only 0.2% of the total government budget, which is even less than Seoul City's Women and Family Policy Office budget of 2.8092 trillion won.

She continued, "Women's and family policies are overlapping and dispersed across several ministries such as the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Ministry of Education, making it difficult for MOGEF to play a leading role and achieve comprehensive policy effectiveness," and said, "We need to redesign it." As a solution, she cited Germany's 'Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth,' which expanded and reorganized a department dedicated to women's policies.