The Number of Mid-Level Female Managers in Central Government Agencies Increased... Rise in Female Military Officer Ratio

Ministry of Gender Equality and Family to Announce at Cabinet Meeting on the 17th
All 12 Areas Achieved Target Values

Fields That Early Achieved 2022 Goals
Plan for This Year Announced with Upward Revision

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Hyun-joo] One in five middle managers or higher in central government ministries is female, indicating a significant increase in women's participation in the public sector.

The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family reviewed the performance of 12 areas to enhance women's representation in the public sector and established this year's implementation plan, which was reported to the Cabinet meeting on the 17th.

Looking at last year's performance, all 12 areas achieved their targets. By sector, after the government’s first-ever joint "Whole-of-Government Balanced Personnel Promotion Plan" was established last year, the appointment of female senior public officials expanded, raising the proportion of female department heads at central government ministries to 20.8%, a more than 40% increase compared to 14.8% in 2017. Female executives in public institutions reached 21.1%, exceeding the 2022 target.

With the establishment of the basis for conducting the "Gender Equality Status Survey" to investigate the gender status of professors at national and public universities, and the introduction of regulations ensuring that no single gender exceeds three-quarters of university faculty at national and public universities, the proportion of female professors at national universities increased to 17.3%. Additionally, as the implementation of plans to expand the appointment of female principals and vice principals by metropolitan and provincial offices of education was strengthened, the ratio of female principals and vice principals rose to 44.1%.

For military personnel, the revision of the Defense Personnel Management Directive created a system to expand female soldiers in key positions such as field unit colonel-level commanders and staff positions. New appointments last year increased by 307 compared to 1,537 in 2018, and the proportion of female officers rose from 6.2% to 6.8%. In general police recruitment, to eliminate remaining gender discrimination, physical fitness standards were revised for integrated male and female selection of candidates at the Korean National Police University and officer candidates. For government committees, recommendations for improvement were made for three committees where male participation was below 40%.

This year, the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family plans to significantly raise targets based on these achievements to enhance implementation. The targets for department heads at headquarters, local department heads, and public institution executives will be adjusted upward to 25%, 21%, and 23%, respectively, for 2022. The ministry will also actively encourage or strengthen appointment management to ensure no ministry fails to appoint female senior public officials. Public enterprises and quasi-governmental institutions will establish appointment targets and implementation plans for executives by 2024, while other public institutions will have female executive performance reflected in government evaluation indicators.

The ministry plans to revise the "Education Public Officials Appointment Decree," specifying annual target ratios for the gender composition of national university faculty, and to establish this year’s implementation plan for defense gender equality policies. Minister Lee Jung-ok of the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family stated, "We will work with related ministries to ensure that these leading efforts and achievements in the public sector spread to the private sector as well."

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