[Exclusive] 'Female Executive Ratio' Announcement Stopped After Regime Change [K Population Strategy]

Announcement of Gender Executive Status Stopped Since 2021
Yoon Government's Gender Equality Policy Only 'Work Disclosure System'
Abolition of Ministry of Gender Equality, Cuts in Women-Related Budget
Gender Equality Excluded from Ruling Party's Election Pledges

Since the Yoon Seok-yeol administration took office, criticism has continued over the 'erasure of women' as efforts toward gender equality policies have weakened. Not only have related policies and budgets been reduced, but data collection aimed at achieving gender equality goals, which had been ongoing since previous administrations, has also been halted. Moreover, with the 22nd National Assembly entering a phase of minority government, the momentum to push even the already proposed pledges is expected to further decline.

[Exclusive] 'Female Executive Ratio' Announcement Stopped After Regime Change [K Population Strategy]

On the 18th, Asia Economy reviewed data related to the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family and found that the publication of survey results on the 'status of executives by gender,' as stipulated in the Framework Act on Gender Equality, has been discontinued. The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family had annually announced target ratios and implementation results for the proportion of female executives at the director level in central government headquarters, local governments, and public institutions under the 'Five-Year Plan to Enhance Women's Representation in the Public Sector' (2018?2022). According to Article 20 of the Framework Act on Gender Equality, the Minister of Gender Equality and Family may investigate and disclose the number of executives by gender and wage status of corporations subject to business report submission under the Capital Market and Financial Investment Business Act. However, the Ministry disclosed related figures only until 2021 and has not published them since the change of administration.

Even looking at the 2021 data disclosed by the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family on the gender status of executives in 2,246 listed companies, the proportion of female executives was only 5.2%, indicating a need for status surveys and goal implementation.

Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, data on the gender composition of executives in 2,246 listed companies that submitted business reports for the first quarter of 2021. [Source: Ministry of Gender Equality and Family]

Third Year of the Yoon Government, Regressing Gender Equality Policies

This change aligns with the government's policy direction. The only gender equality-related policy that President Yoon put forward from his presidential campaign to national agenda was the 'Gender Labor Disclosure System.' Other gender equality-related policies implemented were limited to crime-related measures such as eradicating power-based sexual crimes and strengthening penalties for false accusations. These have been criticized by women's groups and political circles as being far from gender equality. In the gender equality basic plan announced through the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family after his election, the existing policy name 'Enhancing Women's Representation in the Public Sector' was changed to 'Enhancing Gender Representation,' and the word 'women' was largely excluded.

In the public sector, wage information is disclosed through Alio, and the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family annually publishes related status surveys, but the effectiveness reflected on the ground remains limited. According to data obtained by this outlet from DoESG, a specialized ESG (Environment, Social, Governance) evaluation company, the average gender wage gap among regular employees in public institutions over five years from 2019 to 2023 was 19.04%. (▶Related article: 'God's Workplace' Public Institutions: Men Earn 74 Million KRW, Women 60 Million KRW [K Population Strategy]))

The government's and ruling party's efforts to abolish and reorganize ministries since the government's launch can be interpreted in the same context. Recently, the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family increased the proportion of family-related areas in policy implementation while reducing the focus on women's rights, violence, and youth sectors. Although the total budget allocated this year increased, the budgets for women's violence and gender equality were drastically cut. (▶Related article: Ministry of Gender Equality and Family Cuts Budgets for 11 out of 19 Women's Policy Projects Despite Increasing 'Gender Equality' Budget)) Furthermore, the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family has been without a minister since February, making it the only ministry currently without a minister.

In the policy pledges presented by the ruling party ahead of this general election, gender equality-related pledges were hard to find. Policies in the gender equality and family sectors were mostly evaluated as being skewed toward low birthrate measures. According to the 'General Election Policy Debate Materials' analyzed last month by the Korean Women's Associations United, a coalition of 28 women's organizations, the People Power Party and its satellite proportional party, the Future of the People, "show no awareness of issues related to women or gender equality, prioritizing low birthrate measures above all," and "focus on supporting single-parent families and pregnant women in crisis as low birthrate measures rather than on gender equality values and gender-sensitive perspectives."

The Korean Women's Associations United, a coalition of 28 women's organizations, published the "General Election Policy Debate Proceedings" on the 27th of last month. [Source: Korean Women's Associations United]

Following the ruling party's near defeat in the general election, there is analysis that the government has lost momentum to push policies overall. Bae Jin-kyung, head of the Korean Women Workers Association, said, "In fact, it is correct to say that there are no gender equality pledges in the current government, and the Gender Labor Disclosure System does not seem to have any intention or plan to expand to the private sector. Now that the National Assembly has changed, we need to see how much will there is to implement these policies in the legislature."