Abstract

Strategy Development to Eliminate the Gender Gap in the Labor Market(II): Focusing on Working Place Culture
Type Basic Period 2019
Manager Minjung Kang Date 2020-03-03
Fiie Stretegy Development to Eliminate the Gender Gap in the Labor Market(II).pdf ( 601.19 KB )

Abstract

 

Strategy Development to Eliminate the Gender Gap in the Labor Market(): focusing on working place culture

 

Minjung Kang

Seunghyun Lee

Soyoung Kwon

Kyungju Kang

Youngok Kim

Heejeong Yim

Hyungdo Seo

 

This study measures the characteristic of Korean work places, analyzes current state of gender gap in the labor market and the relevance between the feature and the current status, and suggests mid- and long-term policy plans for reducing gender inequality and building gender-equal working conditions.

 

To that end, the investigation reviews previous studies on Korean working culture and, particularly, associates them with the idea of ideal worker, by separating women from the employed. In addition, it utilizes diverse statistics so as to grasp the state of gender gap created by the culture of work places.

 

It investigates those working, including at human resources departments, in large companies of which the headcount is 30058) and more in order to look into the relevance between the features of work place cultures and gender inequality.

 

Findings of the study and policy plans are as follows. For large-scale businesses with greater amounts of sales, they have adopted recent government’s policies, including about working hour reduction, balance between work and life, better working cultures. Particularly, policies of Affirmative Action and family-friendly label brought in positive effects. They have succeeded in some efforts but have yet to internalize them within themselves.

 

Female employees received fewer opportunities for performance review than their male counterparts did. The portion of women at higher positions was small; the higher is the position, the smaller the share. Those human resource practices that were based on gender stereotype were still in place, and companies and jobs that deemed decent failed to materialize gender equality. There were difference in the awareness on gender equality depending on position level, which shows that there are conflicts between different generations and genders within an organization. At the end of the day, in order to take organizational gender equality to higher levels and eliminate gender stereotype, CEO’s attitude matters most. 58) Surveys were designed to investigate a total of 120 firms and their 1,922 employees which hire 300 and more, record greater sales, and engage in the four major activities. (heavy industry, retail, scientific and technical, and financial and insurance) In the case of the financial and insurance, the staff size criteria was 100 and more, because of the lack of population.

 

Moreover, no difference was found in the traits of working culture between the heavy industry and scientific and technical where women take up smaller portions of staff size and the retail and financial and insurance where they occupy higher shares. In consideration of this, there is a need of a new policy.

 

The study suggests the following policy directions. Consultation on organization culture should be encouraged for a better awareness on gender equality and wage gap reduction between genders. For their part, businesses have to ponder about how to improve ways of working, manage index of gender diversity, strengthen fairness in evaluation and promotion, and raise effectiveness of departments designated for organizational culture. Furthermore, the education designed to spread diversity and inclusion is in need, and success cases in such education should be mined for sharing. Ideas of improving existing policies, including Affirmative Action, should be also suggested.