[2024 Women’s Forum] Prime Minister Han Duck-soo Emphasizes "Work-Family Balance" for Women’s Economic Participation

Asia Economy Hosted '2024 Women Leaders Forum'
"Strengthening Policy Efforts to Achieve Gender Equality Society"

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo stated, "The government is striving to improve social awareness of women's participation in economic activities and to spread family-friendly corporate culture," adding, "We are placing the highest priority on work-family balance so that women can freely engage in economic activities."

At the opening speech of the '2024 Asia Economic Women Leaders Forum' held on the 30th at Lotte Hotel in Sogong-dong, Seoul, Prime Minister Han emphasized, "This is directly linked to overcoming the population crisis."

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo is delivering a congratulatory speech at the 2024 Women Leaders Forum hosted by Asia Economy at Lotte Hotel in Sogong-dong, Seoul, on the 30th.

Prime Minister Han introduced, "The government has allocated 19.7 trillion won in next year’s budget, a 22% increase from this year, for the three core low birthrate areas: work-family balance, childcare, and housing," and added, "We have shortened working hours during childcare periods and expanded parental leave, increasing the number of times parental leave can be taken from once to three times so it can be used as needed."

He went on to explain government policies such as raising parental leave benefits from a maximum of 1.5 million won per month to 2.5 million won and expanding the Neulbom School program to all elementary school grades by 2026. Prime Minister Han added, "The 'Three Childcare Support Acts,' which will institutionally support these efforts, have also been amended, which will give much more momentum to future policy implementation."

Prime Minister Han emphasized the role of women in economic growth. He said, "The World Bank (WB) highly praised South Korea in its World Development Report last August as a textbook example of growth, being a representative case of a country that escaped the 'middle-income trap.' It is the only country among those that gained independence after World War II to join the ranks of advanced nations," and added, "I believe the role of women, who have sacrificed and dedicated themselves more at home and in the workplace, has been very significant."

In particular, Prime Minister Han said, "Many women leaders, like those selected as 'Power K-Women,' are active in various fields," and noted, "The number of women-owned businesses in our country has already exceeded 3 million, and this year, the number of female wage workers surpassed 10 million for the first time ever, accounting for 46.1% of all workers." He added, "Although the role of women has greatly expanded like this, the overall female economic activity participation rate still falls short of the average of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), and the gender wage gap remains at one of the lowest levels among OECD countries."

Prime Minister Han emphasized, "Economic activity is a core aspect of people’s livelihoods regardless of gender and an important opportunity to develop one’s capabilities," and said, "If women work without fear of career interruption, it will be a great strength for them to grow as leaders in various fields." He concluded, "The government will further strengthen policy efforts to realize a gender-equal society."