[Born in '58, Sunja] Specializes in Housework, Hobby is Watching Dramas? ... Sunja Wants to Work

Women Baby Boomer Report #1
85.5% Proportion of High School Graduates or Below, an Involuntary Low-Education Generation
Yet Comprising 30.4% of Female Economically Active Population… Twice That of Male Baby Boomers
Among Women, 50s and 60s Show High Work Motivation
But Face Limits in Job Return and Securing Quality Employment

Ms. Sunja: A fictional persona created to provide a more dimensional explanation of the female birth cohort born between 1955 and 1963, representing a vague collection of images and one of the most common female names of that era. Although from an earlier generation, the character played by actress Youn Yuh-jung in the film "Minari," who portrayed a mother’s sacrifice, was also named Kim Sunja.

[Asia Economy Reporters Kim Hyun-jung (Sejong), Lee Hyun-joo, Son Sun-hee (Sejong)] The female baby boomer generation has tirelessly run through the harsh realities of life but failed to leave behind even a single ‘career certificate.’ For over half a century, they existed merely as a generation of conformity and a symbol of unfortunate sacrifice. These colorless and odorless women, who had no political affiliations and did not challenge national affairs, are now undergoing quiet changes. While everyone focuses on the MZ generation emerging as the new protagonists of the world, Asia Economy shines a spotlight on the 3.6 million Kim Sunjas.

#"Wasn't your specialty housework and your hobby watching dramas?" Ms. Sunja shoots a playful glare at her college-aged son who jokes about her. Having always regretted her high school education level, she recently sat down at a desk to prepare for admission to the Korea National Open University. At the same time, she is preparing to obtain a social welfare-related certification, an area of long-standing interest, and on weekends, she volunteers at a senior welfare center with a church group, playing the role of ‘Deacon Kim.’ She has long delegated household chores like cleaning and laundry, which once occupied her entire day, to her retired husband. These days, Ms. Sunja’s heart races daily imagining how to manage the time now given to her, or rather, the next 30 years ahead.

The biggest obstacle preventing middle-aged and elderly women from participating in social activities was involuntary ‘low education.’ The society from the mid-1970s to mid-1980s, when they should have pursued higher education, did not view women as individuals to be educated and trained as professionals. Although there were variations depending on family atmosphere, region, and income level, it was generally considered normal for women to marry, have children, and manage household chores rather than being encouraged to attend university.

On the 17th, Asia Economy analyzed the educational distribution of the baby boomer generation born between 1955 and 1963 using microdata from the Statistics Korea Economically Active Population Survey. The results showed that women had a relatively higher proportion of low education compared to men. Among female baby boomers, high school graduates accounted for the largest share at 42.4%, followed by middle school graduates (24.4%) and elementary school graduates or below (17.7%). The proportion of those with a high school education or less reached 85.5%. In other words, only 1.5 out of 10 female baby boomers (15.5%) attended university. This is about half the rate of men, indicating that female baby boomers had fewer opportunities for higher education, resulting in a sharply lower university enrollment rate compared to men. For men, the largest educational group was also high school graduates at 43.8%, followed by university graduates (19.4%) and middle school graduates (17.4%). Including junior college graduates, about 3 out of 10 male baby boomers (29.3%) had a university-level education or higher.

◆Low-Education Ms. Sunja... "Now I Want to Work" = However, the work motivation of the ‘Ms. Sunja’ generation is not only higher than that of other people in their 50s and 60s but also comparable to men. Even within the same baby boomer generation, the economic activity participation rate for men was only 16.9%. This is similar to the proportion of baby boomer men within the total male population structure (16%). In contrast, women accounted for about 30.4% of the economically active population compared to their 16% share of the total female population, roughly twice as high. This means that the economic participation rate of female baby boomers is relatively higher than that of other age groups.

Unlike men, whose non-economic activity rate naturally increases after leaving the workforce in their 50s and beyond and who no longer seek jobs, women in their 50s and 60s maintain a high level of work motivation.

Looking at the employment status of baby boomer women, among the 1.92 million employed in June, 676,000 were regular employees, followed by temporary workers (487,000) and daily workers (95,000). Additionally, 283,000 were self-employed without employees, and 71,000 were self-employed with employees. Unpaid family workers also accounted for a significant number at 301,000.

On the morning of the 17th, when a significant number of elementary, middle, and high schools nationwide reopened after summer vacation, a grandmother at the main gate of Woljeong Elementary School in Gangseo-gu, Seoul, is putting a backpack on her grandson. In the metropolitan area, first and second graders attend school in person while the other grades receive remote classes. In non-metropolitan areas, first and second graders attend school daily, and three-quarters of students from third to sixth grade attend in person. August 17, 2021 Photo by Joint Press Corps

◆Weaker Income Base Compared to Men but Longer Life Expectancy= The high work motivation of baby boomer women appears to be influenced by their relatively longer life expectancy compared to men. According to the National Statistical Portal, as of 2020, the future life expectancy was 80.3 years for men and 86.1 years for women, with women living 5.8 years longer. If the baby boomer generation, entering the elderly population aged 65 and above, lives according to this expectancy, it is expected that by the 2040s, women will have a higher survival rate in the population structure, increasing the need for earned income to sustain their livelihoods.

Professor Kang Sung-jin of Korea University’s Department of Economics explained, "In the past, it was difficult for women to enter university, and even if they did, social prejudice meant they had to attend women’s universities. After that, it was culturally expected that women would quit their jobs upon marriage." Oh Kyung-sook, director of the Chungbuk Women’s New Work Support Center, said, "It is true that the educational level of women in their late 50s and early 60s has increased compared to previous generations, but these women often have no career or have not managed their careers due to marriage, childbirth, and childcare. At that time, there were not many opportunities for women to work based on professional careers." She added, "Many return to work in their late 40s after their children become independent, but without career experience, they are limited to jobs such as caregiving or housework that require little retraining. Policy considerations and further review are needed."