'Exclusion of Female University Graduates from Hiring' Rumor... Government Launches Investigation
Ministry of Employment and Labor: "Will Take Action According to Principles if Law Violation Confirmed"
Up to 5 Million Won Fine for Violation of the Gender Equality in Employment Act
Recently, a post stating "female university graduates are not hired" has been spreading mainly in office worker communities, prompting the Ministry of Employment and Labor to investigate the situation. The photo shows a job seeker filling out a resume at a job fair. Photo by Hyunmin KimOn the 26th, job seekers are filling out resumes at the 2019 Seoul-type New Deal Job Fair held at SETEC in Gangnam-gu, Seoul. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@
As Dongduk Women's University students are protesting against the transition to coeducation, posts stating "we do not hire female university graduates" have been spreading mainly in office worker communities, prompting the Ministry of Employment and Labor to investigate the situation.
Recently, numerous discriminatory posts related to hiring female university graduates have appeared on the anonymous office worker community 'Blind.' One netizen posted, "Avoiding female universities is becoming the trend," adding, "If a female university is listed on the resume, it's an immediate no." Comments on the post included, "Female universities should be avoided," "Filtered out even as marriage partners," and "It's a bit unfortunate that innocent female university students are blocked from employment."
Regarding posts about the Dongduk Women's University protests, discriminatory comments flooded in such as, "I didn't want to hire female university graduates, but thanks for giving me a reason," "It's not a prejudice that female university graduates have problems," "Now female universities are filtered out even in the dating market," "The HR team's filtering has begun," and "Starting with Dongduk Women's University, other female universities will also be filtered out." Other comments included, "I never hired from female universities anyway," "If you're from a female university, there's a 100% chance of problems," and "Female university hatred."
Since these posts appeared on online communities, it is difficult to verify their authenticity, but if true, all such actions constitute illegal conduct. According to the Act on Equal Employment and Support for Work-Family Reconciliation, employers must not discriminate based on gender when recruiting or hiring workers. Violations can result in fines of up to 5 million won.
As the sentiment of "avoiding female university graduates" openly spreads online, some online communities are urging to file complaints with the Ministry of Employment and Labor regarding these posts. Posts encouraging reports of gender discrimination share links for reporting, instructions, and evidence collection methods.
With anonymous reports of gender discrimination continuously received, the government has also launched an investigation. A Ministry of Employment and Labor official stated, "We are currently collecting reports at local offices as multiple complaints have been received," adding, "We are verifying the facts, and if violations of the law are confirmed, we will take action according to laws and principles."
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