Prime Minister Jeong Sye-gyun Chairs Gender Equality Committee Meeting... "Promoting Economic Activities for Women with Career Interruptions"

Held on the morning of the 12th at the Government Seoul Office
Review of the implementation status of the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women recommendations, etc.

Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun is speaking at the Central Accident Management Headquarters meeting for the response to the novel coronavirus infection held at the Seoul Situation Center of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters in the Government Seoul Office Building on the 12th. Photo by Moon Ho-nam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunju Lee] On the morning of the 12th, Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun held the 10th Gender Equality Committee meeting at the Government Seoul Office to review the implementation plans for the 3rd Basic Plan to Promote Economic Activities of Women with Career Interruptions and the 2nd Basic Plan for Gender Equality Policy. This meeting was held once last year and is the first since the appointment of the 3rd term private committee members in December last year.

The main agenda items included four key topics: reviewing this year’s implementation plans for the Basic Plan to Promote Economic Activities of Women with Career Interruptions and the Basic Plan for Gender Equality Policy, monitoring the implementation status of recommendations from the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, and checking the results of the National Gender Equality Index measurement.

The government plans to further strengthen the career retention system for working women to prevent career interruptions. To this end, simultaneous parental leave for couples will be allowed, and parental leave will be promoted even during pregnancy. Additionally, for small and medium-sized enterprises, substitute workforce support subsidies will be increased to 800,000 KRW this year, and marriage and child education will be added as recognized reasons for career interruption. The allowable career interruption period will be extended to 15 years, and the reemployment target company requirements will be relaxed from the same company to the same industry.

Reemployment support for women with career interruptions will also be enhanced. Opportunities for vocational training will be expanded for women seeking employment, vulnerable groups, and socially disadvantaged individuals, and customized employment services tailored to the characteristics of each target group will be provided. The Women New Employment Centers, which support reemployment of women with career interruptions, will operate specialized business models for highly educated and professional women and strengthen expertise through employment support programs based on the latest technologies. Furthermore, improvements to the delivery system for supporting women with career interruptions will be pursued, including strengthening the functions of central and metropolitan Women New Employment Centers that manage and support regional centers.

Moreover, female participation will be expanded by supporting women’s participation in national key and strategic industry job training, especially in new technology fields, and fostering women scientists and engineers.

In response to changing perspectives on work and working methods, employment and startup services will be supported considering new job types and demand based on the social economy. To strengthen the public nature of childcare, the number of national and public daycare centers will be expanded, elementary after-school care classrooms will be gradually increased, and linkage between after-school care services will also be promoted.

This year’s implementation plan under the 2nd Basic Plan for Gender Equality Policy involves 26 central administrative agencies and 17 metropolitan cities and provinces, pursuing a total of 221 detailed tasks across six major areas.

To reduce the gender wage gap, the government will promote the publication of wage distribution status by business characteristics, and workplaces subject to the Affirmative Action (AA) will be required to submit the status of gender wage gaps and plans for resolution. Annual target ratios for the gender composition of professors at national and public universities will be set, and the status of executives across all listed companies will be surveyed and announced.

To establish a work-life balance society, amendments to the Employment Insurance Act will be pursued to guarantee payment of maternity leave benefits, and guidelines will be prepared to prohibit disadvantages for users of the reduced working hours system during childcare periods. Participation in family-friendly certification will be expanded from the current 3,833 to 4,300 organizations.

Following recommendations from the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, six out of twelve areas (national and local government section chiefs, public institution executives, local public enterprise managers, principals and vice principals, government committees) have achieved last year’s targets ahead of schedule to increase female representation in the public sector. The Act on the Prevention of Violence against Women was enacted to promptly block digital sex crime videos and revise laws related to the punishment of illegal filming and distribution acts.

The National Gender Equality Index, surveyed and announced by the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, scored 71.9 points in 2018, an increase from the previous year. However, despite high growth rates in areas such as decision-making, family, and economic activities, the level of gender equality remains low compared to other fields, indicating the need for continuous improvement.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.