Soda Pop Talk Concert Concludes with Fifth Session on the 17th
Eighteen Participants Discuss "Extreme Gender Perceptions" and More
Ministry of Gender Equality and Family to Allocate 660 Million Won Next Year
"I believe the gender perception gap among the younger generation is closely linked to the extreme political tendencies observed among some young men." (Ms. Lee, a woman in her 30s)
"There are also those who, like radical feminists, incite extreme hatred toward men. The problem is that politicians exploit this to gain support." (Mr. Lee, a man in his 20s)
On the afternoon of December 17, the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family held the "5th Gender Equality Talk Concert, Soda Pop" at KT&G Sangsang Planet in Seongdong-gu, Seoul. Eighteen young people in their 20s and 30s gathered at the event and discussed the gender perception gap in various areas such as the workplace, family, daily life, education, and career over the course of about one month since October 29. Even during the final comprehensive discussion held that day, the gender perception gap between male and female participants was evident.
Won Minkyoung, Minister of Gender Equality and Family, is sharing opinions with young participants on the theme of "Comprehensive Discussion and 26-Year Youth Communication Operation Plan" at the 5th Gender Equality Talk Concert Soda Pop held at KT&G Sangsang Planet Connect Hall on the afternoon of the 17th. Provided by the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family
The young participants debated "feminism" and "political extremism" during the event. When Ms. Lee, a woman in her 30s, cited the far-right tendencies of young men as a cause of the gender perception gap among the younger generation, Mr. Lee, a man in his 20s, pointed to "radical feminism" as another example of extremism and criticized politicians for trying to convert these issues into votes.
In response, another woman in her 30s, Ms. Lee, argued, "We need to look at the background that led to the emergence of radical feminism and consider why these individuals are so intense." She mentioned the weak punishment for crimes targeting women, such as illegal filming, and said, "As the number of women who suffer from such crimes increases, they inevitably encounter feminism. It's not that they want to hate men, but rather, they are compelled to speak out in a society that makes them feel hatred."
The participants also discussed social expectations of gender roles in the workplace. Mr. Cho, a man in his 30s who works as a social worker, said, "I came to my workplace as a professional who designs happy lives through understanding people and program planning, but in reality, I was only assigned physically demanding tasks." He added, "Among the female social workers who left, some are now working as wallpaper installers. The idea that certain jobs are only for men and others are only for women is widespread in the social welfare and healthcare sectors."
There was also the opinion that the starting point should be to recognize each other as "humans" beyond gender-based concepts. Ms. Jang, a woman in her 30s, said, "Perhaps the reason gender discrimination is not being resolved is that we have been limited to gendered perspectives and have not been able to empathize with each other. I think we need to learn about these issues as human-to-human and human rights matters, and there should be more campaigns like this."
In the previous first to fourth talk concerts, the gender perception gap among young people was also evident. Regarding discrimination against women, opinions included "the majority of victims of gender-based violence are women, and their sexual autonomy is disregarded" and "the proportion of women in high-ranking positions is so low that it limits their career prospects." From the male perspective, there were views such as "the hostile perception and attitude that take the sacrifices of military service for granted and belittle them are spreading, forcing young men to make unreasonable sacrifices" and "there are problems with past educational approaches that assumed all men to be potential perpetrators."
Won Minkyoung, Minister of Gender Equality and Family, is sharing opinions with young participants on the topic of "Comprehensive Discussion and 26-Year Youth Communication Operation Plan" at the 5th Gender Equality Talk Concert Soda Pop held at KT&G Sangsang Planet Connect Hall on the afternoon of the 17th. Provided by the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family
Based on these findings, the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family plans to invest approximately 663 million won next year to operate a "Youth Generation Gender Balance Culture Expansion" project. By expanding talk concerts like Soda Pop, the ministry will establish a "Youth Coexistence and Empathy Network" next year to continuously reflect the voices of young people in policies. The network, composed of young people representing diverse perspectives, will collect opinions and, after internal consultations with experts and relevant departments, identify policy tasks.
In addition, the ministry will operate an "Online Public Suggestion" system where not only young people but also the general public can freely express their opinions on gender imbalance. In fields with severe gender concentration, such as police, firefighting, nursing, and caregiving, ministry officials will visit in person to listen to cases and gather policy suggestions.
Won Minkyoung, Minister of Gender Equality and Family, listened to the opinions of the talk concert participants and said, "If gender equality had already been achieved in our society, the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family would not be gathering like this for such deliberative processes," adding, "This is a goal we must reach."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
