"71% Say 'Serious Gender Conflict'... 48% Doubt New Government's Gender Equality Policies"

90% of People in Their 20s Say Gender Conflict Is Serious
52% Expect Gender Conflict to Remain Similar in the Future
6 out of 10 Say "Gender Discrimination Against Women at Work Is Serious"

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Jinju] Seven out of ten Koreans perceive gender conflict in Korean society as serious. Half of the respondents believed that the new government would not be able to effectively implement gender equality policies.

At the seminar titled 'Prospects and Challenges of the New Government's Gender Equality Policy' held by the Korean Women's Development Institute on the 20th, Jae-seon Jeong, president of Korea Research, presented the results of a survey conducted in February on 1,000 adults.

The proportion of respondents who answered that 'gender conflict in our society is serious' was 71%, an 8 percentage point increase from February last year. In particular, 90% of respondents in their 20s answered that it was serious, an increase of 15 percentage points compared to February last year.

The outlook on gender conflict is also negative. Among respondents, 52% said that gender conflict would remain similar to the current level in the future, and 27% predicted it would become more serious. Among those in their 20s, there was a difference by gender: 62% of women and 43% of men in their 20s expected gender conflict to become more serious than it is now.

Seventy-six percent agreed that the government should promote gender equality policies. The agreement rate was higher among women and older age groups, with women in their 20s and 30s agreeing 12 to 27 percentage points more than men. Among policies to eliminate gender inequality, the most supported were ▲strengthening penalties for stalking (62%) ▲eradication of violence against women and sexual exploitation and protection of victims (50%) ▲prohibition of discrimination against users of maternity and parental leave (49%).

However, expectations for the new government's promotion of gender equality policies are low. Forty-eight percent answered 'will not do well,' 36% said 'will do well,' and 15% said 'don't know.' In particular, 85% of women in their 20s responded negatively, while only 26% of men in their 30s evaluated it negatively.

While there is sympathy for the necessity of gender equality policies, doubts remain about their effectiveness. Forty-eight percent answered that these policies could resolve gender inequality and reduce the status gap between men and women, but more than half answered that it was impossible (30%) or did not know (23%).

Regarding gender discrimination in organizations, six out of ten respondents said that discrimination against women in the workplace is serious. The proportion of respondents who said discrimination against men in the workplace is serious was 32%.

Experiences of gender discrimination in interpersonal relationships were most frequently reported in 'relationships with colleagues or supervisors at work' at 60%. This was followed by 'relationships with family or relatives' (42%), 'relationships with neighbors and friends' (33%), and 'relationships with teachers at school or academies' (15%). More than half of women reported experiencing gender discrimination in the workplace (58%) and family relationships (54%).

Regarding which gender has a better living environment in Korean society, there was a clear perception gap between genders. Forty percent of men answered that 'women have a better living environment,' while 52% of women answered that 'men have a better living environment.' In particular, 77% and 63% of women in their 20s and 30s, respectively, answered that 'men have a better living environment.' Among men in their 20s and 30s, 56% and 48%, respectively, answered that 'women have a better living environment.'