[2024 Women’s Forum] Chairman Hyun Sang-soon: "It’s Time to Demand Work-Family Balance from Companies"

Hyeonsangsoon, Chairman of Asia Economy, Congratulatory Address at the '2024 Women Leaders Forum'
"Companies Striving for Work-Family Balance Will Sustain Growth"

"We have confirmed that companies that actively employ female workers and allow them to take parental leave without hesitation continue to grow sustainably."

Hyun Sang-soon, Chairman of Asia Economy, is delivering the opening address at the 2024 Women Leaders Forum hosted by Asia Economy at Lotte Hotel, Sogong-dong, Seoul, on the 30th.

Hyun Sang-soon, Chairman of Asia Economy, stated in his congratulatory speech at the '2024 Asia Economy Women Leaders Forum' held on the 30th at Lotte Hotel in Sogong-dong, Seoul, "Companies need to adopt an attitude that demands the creation of systems and cultures necessary for work-family balance."

Chairman Hyun explained, "The biggest challenge determining the future of Korean society is population decline. However, this issue is intertwined with complex factors such as real estate, education, and generational perception gaps, making it difficult to expect groundbreaking results in the short term. Through 13 years of the Leaders Forum, Asia Economy has focused on the fact that the key to the population problem lies with companies."

He continued, "For the past nine years, we have been conducting the Asia Gender Equality Index survey annually. We have confirmed that companies that actively employ female workers and allow them to take parental leave without hesitation tend to have more employees who build families and raise children, and such companies continue to grow sustainably," he emphasized.

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo (sixth from the left) and Hyeon Sang-soon, Chairman of Asia Economy (fifth from the left), along with other attendees, are posing for a commemorative photo at the 2024 Women Leaders Forum hosted by Asia Economy at Lotte Hotel, Sogong-dong, Seoul, on the 30th. Photo by Kim Hyun-min

Regarding this year’s selection method for Asia Economy’s Gender Equality Index, he said, "This year, Asia Economy surveyed the top 100 companies and 36 major financial companies from the perspective of work-family balance. It allows us to see at a glance which companies are leading in work-family balance and which are lacking relative to their brand and size."

He added, "This survey will serve as a beacon for companies to create the necessary systems and cultures. At the same time, as this year’s Women Leaders Forum slogan 'Women, Demand from Companies' suggests, women need to take an active stance in demanding improvements in the index from companies," he emphasized.