[2024 Women’s Forum] Kakao Operates Mentoring Program and Curriculum to Foster Female Managers

Gender Equality Index Award | Asia Economy Grand Prize in Women Leadership Development Division

At the 9th Asia Gender Equality Index Awards, Kakao received the 'Asia Economy Representative Award' in the Women's Leadership Development category and operates mentoring programs and training courses for team leaders to foster female managers. Kakao implements a blind recruitment process, removing gender fields and applicant photo upload sections to prevent recognition of the applicant's gender during the hiring stage.

Lee Seung-hyun, Kakao HR Performance Leader, is taking a photo after receiving the Asia Economy Representative Award in the Women's Employment Stability category at the 9th Asia Gender Equality Index Awards ceremony hosted by Asia Economy at Lotte Hotel in Jung-gu, Seoul on the 30th. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung

The Human Rights Management Declaration explicitly states that a work environment free from discrimination based on gender and other factors is provided, and an anonymous hotline reporting channel is available so that unfair workplace practices can be reported and consulted at any time. Kakao also operates parental leave and an in-house daycare system to support work-family balance. As of last year, out of 333 female employees eligible for parental leave, 71 took parental leave. The company runs a total of four in-house daycare centers accommodating about 900 children, which is the largest scale among domestic IT companies.

Family care leave, family care parental leave, and family care reduced working hours, which can be used regardless of gender, are also supported. Male employees actively use paternity leave, fetal examination leave, and parental leave. In addition, Kakao promotes flexible working hours through a ‘fully selective working system’ that allows employees to autonomously decide their work start and end times and daily working hours within a set total working time for a certain period.

Thanks to these efforts to promote female employment, the proportion of women among Kakao’s new hires last year reached 69.2%, and currently, out of a total of 3,880 employees, 1,733 (44.6%) are women. A Kakao representative stated, "We strive to provide a discrimination-free work environment that respects the dignity of our members and treats them fairly and rationally based on their capabilities and performance."