KWDI Korean Women’s Development Institute

2017 KWDI Abstract

 

Achievements of Korea’s Female Manager Employment Quota System and Future Development Plans

 

Mee-kyung Moon

Jiso Yoon

Jong-sun Jin

Ji-su Kim

 

This paper aims to measure and assess the achievements of Korea’s female manager employment quota system whose second term is about to end and to present its future development plans.

 

The following conclusions have been drawn from the study: First, the female manager employment quota system has contributed to increasing the number of Grade 4 and Grade 5 female government employees to a certain degree. Based on the Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) for the past five years, the number of female managers in central administrative agencies for the period leading up to 2022 was also estimated. The results show that the shares of women in management roles (Grade 4 and above) and female members in the Senior Civil Service will jump to 23.5% and 8.2%, respectively. Second, our survey of public officials reveals that female and male public servants in general view the quota system favorably and form a high opinion of improvements in flexible working systems and child care and childbirth-related welfare programs. Third, in-depth interviews indicate that many respondents positively evaluate the achievements and purpose of and needs for the quota system. However, they had differing views on some items such as the quota system leading to ‘higher confidence in the government,’ and efforts of ‘each Ministry to raise the number of female managers,’ and so forth.

 

Based on the research results, the following five-year target employment rates and policy alternatives have been presented: First, the female manager employment targets for the five-year period from 2018 to 2022 are as follows: Raise the shares of female managers (Grade 4 and above) and female members in the Senior Civil Service to 26.7% and 8.8%, respectively, by 2022, taking into account the CAGR for the past five years and the government’s policy goal of 1.2-fold increase. Second, the following three suggestions were made to expand the number of female managers: 1) allocate 30% of Senior Civil Service jobs and open positions by Ministry to women; 2) establish a new regulation that women should account for 40% of Central Recruitment Process Committee members; and 3) set up a placement system reflecting female government employees’ life cycle. Third, the following three policy needs were also presented to improve the Korean administrative culture and thereby increase the number of female managers: 1) set up a new human resources management system, considering child care and childbirth; 2) expand flexible working systems; and 3) promote a wider use of the quota system in the private sector.