Opening of Mapo Women's Companion Center... Establishing a Local Gender Equality Hub

Support for Gender Sensitivity and Gender Equality Education, Sexual Violence and Domestic Violence Counseling, and Resident Shared Spaces

Park Gang-su, District Mayor, “The Women’s Companion Center will be a space of companionship encompassing gender and generations”

Mapo-gu (District Mayor Park Gang-su) is establishing the ‘Mapo Women’s Companion Center,’ which will serve as a hub for local gender equality policies, and will hold an opening ceremony at 2 p.m. on the 27th.

The Mapo Women’s Companion Center (122 Daeheung-ro) was newly created by remodeling the existing Mapo-gu Dementia Safety Center building. After the Dementia Safety Center relocated to Yeomni Comprehensive Social Welfare Center, which opened in 2021, the district considered ways to utilize the building and decided to use it as a facility supporting gender equality, taking into account that Mapo-gu has the highest female population ratio among Seoul’s autonomous districts.

Mapo-gu’s female population accounts for 53% of the total (as of March 2023, KOSIS National Statistical Portal), and single female households also make up nearly 56% of all single-person households (as of March 2023, Ministry of the Interior and Safety).

Considering these regional characteristics, the district has implemented gender equality policies and was selected as a Women-Friendly City for three consecutive times starting in 2012, the first among Seoul’s autonomous districts.

The newly opened Mapo Women’s Companion Center is a facility with a total floor area of 675.6㎡, consisting of one basement floor and four above-ground floors. It includes resident meeting spaces, program and counseling rooms, exhibition and performance spaces, and a senior caf? operated as part of a senior job project. The operation is entrusted to the organization ‘Work and Future Made by Women.’

The center will provide shared space rentals to activate resident communities, counseling for gender-based violence, sexual violence, and domestic violence, as well as gender sensitivity and gender equality education.

Gender equality education plans include awareness improvement programs for caregivers and gender sensitivity education support projects targeting local businesses and organizations.

In particular, infrastructure will be established for counseling on gender-based violence in cooperation with Mapo Police Station, Mapo-gu Mental Health Center, and the Korea Sexual Violence Counseling Center.

Park Gang-su, Mayor of Mapo-gu, said, “The term ‘women’ as represented by the Women’s Companion Center does not simply mean people who are female by gender, but also includes socially vulnerable groups such as the elderly and people with disabilities,” adding, “We will strive to make the newly opened Mapo Women’s Companion Center a space of companionship that embraces both gender and generations.”

Seongbuk-gu Promulgates and Enforces Partial Amendment to Ordinance on Promoting Economic Activities of Women with Career Interruptions

Changing ‘Women with Career Interruptions’ to ‘Women with Career Experience’

Creating an Environment that Respects the Value of Women’s Childcare and Care Work

Seongbuk-gu (District Mayor Lee Seung-ro) announced on the 20th that it has promulgated and enforced a partial amendment to the Seoul Metropolitan City Seongbuk-gu Ordinance on Promoting Economic Activities of Women with Career Interruptions, which was proposed by Assemblywoman Kyung Soo-hyun of the Seongbuk District Council.

The amendment changes the term ‘women with career interruptions’ to ‘women with career experience’ and includes content that respects the value of women’s care work. The term ‘Gyeongdan-nyeo’ (women with career interruptions) has often been criticized for not recognizing women’s care work. Recognizing this social trend, the amendment revises content that carries negative connotations.

Additionally, the amendment adds a legal basis for the establishment and operation of the ‘Seongbuk Women’s Employment Education Center,’ which opened in September last year, to ensure the stable promotion of support projects for maintaining the careers of women with career experience, such as vocational training education.

Seongbuk Women's Employment Education Center 'Personal Color' Special Lecture

This ordinance amendment reflects Seongbuk-gu’s efforts to change perceptions of women’s care work and support the promotion of economic activities for women with career experience.

Assemblywoman Kyung Soo-hyun stated, “A shift in perception to the perspective of ‘career experience,’ which carries positive and potential meanings, is necessary,” adding, “We took proactive measures to revitalize women’s economic activities, reestablish employment value, and realize a progressive future for Seongbuk.”

District Mayor Lee Seung-ro said, “Recently, awareness improvements regarding recognition of care careers have been spreading throughout society,” and added, “I hope this amendment to the Seongbuk-gu ordinance will serve as another opportunity for changing perceptions that respect the value of women’s labor, and Seongbuk-gu will do its best to support the skill development and economic activity revitalization of women with career experience.”