Public survey on the practices of gender equality and its barriers : Focusing on activities in the workplace
The objective of this research is to review the barriers and promotional elements that influence gender equality within the workplace in its official and non-official activities. This research is the 2nd year task, following last year's gender equality research in houseworks. For this purpose, this research conducted a survey on 3,027 men and women in the workplace between 19 and 70 years old, targeting companies with more than 50 employees, coupled with FGI (focus group interview) with 8 groups (5-7 persons per unit). As a result, a variety of variations are found in gender separation and implementing the gender equality according to the demographic characteristics such as the job-related variables including business types, titles, company size, company types (public, private corporations), sex, age, level of education, etc.
Normally men are in charge of key tasks and important jobs and women are in charge of less important and accessorial jobs. This kind of gender separation was consistent, but as the size of company gets bigger and the clarity ofequality guideline is well established, this kind of gender separation is less manifested. The level of gender equality practices is high when the level of education and attitudes on gender equality are high. Also, when the workplace has culture that guarantees gender equality or leaving work at regular times everyday or the ratio of women is high, the level of gender equality practices turns out to be high.
On the other hand, the men whose wives are working in the workplace show more participation in household chores compared with the men whose wives are not working. But there were no difference in nurturing and education area among the household activities. As for the female workers, they still carry out lots of household chores even if they are in high positions in their work. Moreover, even if the availability of family friendly systems in the workplace is high, it doesn't predict the high participation in household chores. So, it means that such an effect is not reflected in the home front. As a result of model verification for the process that connects gender equality attitudes to gender equality practices, the most important factors include the perceived legality of the status, the perceived subjective norm, and the perceived behavior control. Lastly, if the culture of the gender equality, family-friendly systems is strong, it turns to show high organizational commitment and job satisfaction, decreasing the turnover intention. The similar effect was found in the male employees who have high level of gender equality practices.
These results cast several policy suggestions to increase the practices of gender equality within the workplace.
First, gender equality culture should be established by improving the personnel practices, establishing the guidelines for gender equality, improving the CEO attitudes, etc. Also various policies should be searched to improve the working environment that causes long hours of work by improving various systems, culture and attitudes.
Second, a related educational program is needed to weaken the perceived subjective norm or the perceived legality of the status and to strengthen the educational contents that improves self-efficacy in gender equality practices within the workplace.
Third, a comprehensive policy should be prepared to decrease the difficulties in child care and nurturing, which is the biggest stumbling block in the conflict of work-family balance to connect the effect of family-friendly polices with the actual family life.
Fourth, a policy should be prepared to help males to improve their attitudes and practices that are often different in private and public area. For this purpose, more promotion and incentives are needed to spread the meaning and purpose of the systems such as ‘Family - Friendly Social Environment Promotion Act', etc.