Seongdong-gu, the First in the Nation to Enact an Ordinance for 'Career-Holding Women' ? What Is the Reason?

On the 4th, the nation's first name improvement from 'Career Discontinuity' to 'Career Retention,' exploring support measures for issuing and utilizing 'Career Recognition Certificates'... Jung Won-oh, Seongdong District Mayor, stated, "This is the first institutionalized attempt to maintain women's careers, find a balance between work and life, and expand the scope of recognition."

Seongdong-gu signed an agreement with Clio on the 5th to improve awareness of women with career breaks. (Photo by Han Hyun-ok, CEO of Clio (left), and Jung Won-oh, Mayor of Seongdong-gu (right))

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Last year, Seongdong-gu made a remarkable achievement by being the first in the nation to enact an ordinance related to ‘essential workers,’ leading the way in protecting their rights and support, and within less than a year, successfully pushing for its legalization. Now, the district’s focus has shifted to women who have career gaps.

Amid the pioneering implementation of K-quarantine measures, the first half of last year saw the highest number of women leaving their workplaces due to strengthened closure and quarantine measures in daycare centers, kindergartens, and schools (‘21, Bank of Korea publication, ‘COVID-19 and Female Employment’). Observing this, the district considered multifaceted plans to support the efforts, experiences, sacrifices, and dedication of individuals and families in maintaining family and community bonds.

Accordingly, Seongdong-gu (Mayor Jung Won-oh) enacted and promulgated the Seoul Metropolitan Government Seongdong-gu Ordinance on Respect and Promotion of the Rights and Interests of Women with Career Gaps (hereinafter referred to as the Ordinance) on the 4th of this month. The district has taken the lead to improve awareness of essential care labor emphasized in this era and to raise social interest in care labor predominantly undertaken by women.

The Ordinance replaces the negatively perceived term ‘career interruption’ with ‘career retention’ and removes the definition of career interruption causes limited to marriage, pregnancy, childbirth, and childcare, presenting a new definition. It also includes provisions to issue career recognition certificates for unpaid care labor such as childcare, housework, and caregiving. The Ordinance stipulates responsibilities to support education that can convert care labor experience into career experience and strengthen employment capabilities, and to actively cooperate with local companies and organizations, thereby continuously fostering an environment where women with career retention are socially respected.

For phased implementation, from the 8th of this month, the ‘Career Restart Challenge 10th Cohort’ program will be expanded. This includes special lectures on resume writing and practical reemployment know-how, with an added workshop on completing career recognition application forms. After completion, participants can receive career recognition certificates on a pilot basis. From 2022, certificates will be issued based on recognition criteria set by the Seongdong-gu Women with Career Retention Rights Committee in accordance with the Ordinance.

Additionally, starting from the 18th of this month, the district plans to gather public opinions through a data contest for the career recognition project involving resident participation. Efforts will be accelerated to understand and spread the career recognition project by exploring policies that socially acknowledge the value of care labor and envision future prospects for such policies.

Seongdong-gu actively collaborates with companies to promote awareness of women with career retention. On the 5th, an agreement was signed with Clio, followed by agreements on the 11th with four companies?New Ground, W Plant, alookso, and WeConnect?that operate career retention women recruitment platforms and related communities. These agreements focus on projects respecting and promoting the rights and interests of women with career retention tailored to each company’s characteristics.

Jung Won-oh, Mayor of Seongdong-gu, stated, “This Ordinance is the first institutionalized attempt by the administration to recognize unpaid, informal care labor as career experience. We will actively seek ways to enable women to maintain and develop their careers, pursue work-life balance, and continue economic activities and social participation.”

He also added, “The career recognition project introduced for women who have experienced career gaps will be continuously monitored to expand and review the scope of career recognition, and we will do our best to ensure that labor experiences, which have been relatively undervalued, are respected.”