Korean Women's Development Institute to Hold Conference on March 4
Exploring Policies to Address the Gender Wage Gap and Employment Disparities
Introducing Sweden's Gender Equality Policy Initiatives
In celebration of 'March 8 International Women's Day,' the Korean Women's Development Institute will co-host a conference with the Swedish Institute for Security and Development Policy on March 4.
The conference will be held at the International Conference Room on the second floor of the institute, located in Eunpyeong-gu, Seoul, under the theme "Gender Equality in the Workplace: A Korea-Nordic Comparative Perspective." The event aims to examine workplace gender equality experiences in Korea and the Nordic countries, and to seek policy directions to address the gender wage gap and employment disparities.
Participants are urging the elimination of the gender wage gap at the March 8th International Women's Day National Women Workers' Rally of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions held at Gwanghwamun Square, Jongno-gu, Seoul. Photo by Hyunmin Kim
As of 2023, Korea recorded the highest gender wage gap (29.3%) among member countries of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). In the Gender Gap Index announced last year by the World Economic Forum (WEF), Korea ranked 101st out of 148 countries with a score of 0.687, falling seven places compared to the previous year.
Kim Jongsuk, President of the Korean Women's Development Institute, stated, "Eliminating the gender wage gap and employment disparities requires not only institutional improvements but also practical implementation at the field level," adding, "Sweden is a representative country that is putting these principles into practice." She continued, "I hope this conference will serve to share policy experiences between Korea and the Nordic countries and further contribute to the design of more effective policies."
On the same day, Koo Miyeong, Director of the Women's Employment Research Division at the Korean Women's Development Institute, will give a presentation on the topic "Gender Wage Gap Disclosure System and Gender Mainstreaming in Employment and Labor Policy: Challenges and Tasks." She will review the achievements and limitations of Korea's gender wage gap disclosure system and gender mainstreaming in employment and labor policy, and propose future tasks.
Director Koo suggests that the following measures should be pursued in parallel: implementation of the Employment Equality Wage Disclosure System for gender wage gap disclosure (a national policy task); mandatory production of gender-disaggregated statistics; incorporation of gender perspectives into major performance goals and tasks across all employment and labor policies; consideration of gender-specific characteristics in industrial safety and health standards; and expansion of female representation in collective labor-management relations.
Anna Collins-Falk, Senior Policy Advisor at the Swedish Gender Equality Agency, will present on "Institutional Approaches to Gender Equality and Working Life in Sweden," introducing Sweden's policy implementation status and major achievements in the labor market.
She remarked, "The achievements of Sweden's gender equality policies are the result of long-standing integration of gender equality into all aspects of national governance," and added, "Gender equality should not be a separate policy, but should be considered in every policy process, including budgeting, legislation, and administration."
Following the keynote presentations, a roundtable discussion will be moderated by Josephine Rasmussen, Project Manager at the Stockholm Korea Center of the Swedish Institute for Security and Development Policy. Panel participants will include Park Jinyoung, Director of Gender Equality Policy at the Ministry of Employment and Labor; Yoo Hyunjae, Officer at the Gender Equality and Family Policy Bureau; Kwon Hyuk, Professor at the Graduate School of Labor Studies at Korea University; and Bae Jinkyung, President of the Korean Women Workers Association.
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