"Can't Grant Leave for Maternal Grandmother's Funeral" Persistent Discrimination in Congratulatory and Condolence Leave Despite 'Abolition of Hoju System'

Nine Years After Abolishing the Hoju System... Patriarchal Practices Still Persist in Workplaces
Experts Say "Patriarchal and Sexist Practices Must Be Improved"

Portrait photo. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Seung-gon, Intern Reporter Kim Seul-gi] #Office worker A (27) recently requested leave from work due to the death of her maternal grandmother but was denied by the company. A said, "The funeral was in Busan and my home is in Seoul, so I asked for two days off, but they said, 'If it were your paternal grandmother, we could give you two days off, but since it's your maternal grandmother, it's not allowed,' and rejected my request." She added, "In the end, I took one day of leave and used one day of annual leave to attend the funeral. What made me even more upset was that the company told me, 'Since we accommodated you, you should express your gratitude to the executives.' I was shocked to realize that I still live in such a discriminatory society."

Although the patriarchal family registry system centered on paternal lineage was abolished nine years ago, some companies still differentiate the number of leave days and condolence payments for maternal and paternal grandparents' family events, leading to criticism of workplace discrimination.

Experts emphasize that patriarchal and gender-discriminatory practices violate the Labor Standards Act and urgently need improvement.

In the past, companies differentiated condolence leave and condolence payments based on whether the employee played the role of the chief mourner. It was assumed that employees might act as chief mourners for paternal grandparents but not for maternal grandparents.

However, some companies still maintain these regulations as customary practice. One company granted five days of leave for paternal grandparents' family events but only two days for maternal grandparents. Another company provided condolence money ranging from 100,000 to 300,000 KRW for paternal grandparents but none for maternal grandparents.

Office workers expressed that they could not understand such discriminatory rules. B, a female office worker in her 20s, said, "I was shocked when I saw a colleague get scolded by a supervisor for requesting leave to attend a maternal family event. It was bitter to see that patriarchal culture and customs still remain in our society." She added, "I think more diverse efforts are needed to eliminate deeply rooted patriarchal practices in society."

C, an office worker in her late 30s, said, "I feel like the company is interfering in family matters rather than work." She continued, "Many just endure it because they feel they would be looked down upon if they protest." She raised her voice, saying, "This corporate culture can have a negative social impact, and that is the biggest problem."

Photo by Yonhap News

Discrimination in granting leave for maternal family condolences by companies is clearly illegal. According to the "Status of Companies' Condolence Leave and Condolence Payment" report released by the National Human Rights Commission of Korea (NHRCK), among 36 companies that differentiated the number of condolence leave days, 18 companies did not grant any condolence leave for maternal grandparents' deaths, and the other 18 gave 1 to 5 fewer days than for paternal grandparents. Additionally, all 30 companies that differentiated condolence payments did not provide any condolence money for maternal grandparents' deaths.

Furthermore, among 25 companies that differentiated both condolence leave days and condolence payments, 15 companies provided leave and condolence money for paternal grandparents but had no standards for maternal grandparents.

In 2013, the NHRCK stated, "Despite the abolition of the family registry system recognizing paternal and maternal grandparents as family members of equal status, differential treatment of maternal grandparents is discriminatory," and pointed out, "Article 36, Paragraph 1 of the Constitution fundamentally prohibits discrimination based on gender in marriage and family life."

Gender Equality. Photo by Yonhap News

As discrimination based on paternal or maternal family intensified in leave policies, a bill was even proposed to ban it altogether.

In 2018, Park Ju-min, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, proposed a partial amendment to the "Act on Equal Employment and Support for Work-Family Balance," stating, "Employers who refuse condolence leave requests or differentiate between paternal and maternal family condolence leave will be fined up to 10 million KRW."

Park pointed out, "Despite the NHRCK's opinion, many companies still discriminate between paternal and maternal families."

Experts pointed out that this violates the Labor Standards Act and urgently needs improvement. Im Yoon-ok, an advisory committee member of the Korean Women Workers Association, emphasized, "Article 6 of the Labor Standards Act prohibits employers from discriminating against workers based on gender. Treatment should be equal regardless of gender, and differentiating condolence leave and condolence payments violates the principle of equal treatment."

She added, "To improve these discriminatory practices, it is necessary to collect cases and raise public awareness. Institutional efforts such as enforcement decrees are also needed to eliminate discrimination. Even if condolence leave is not statutory leave and is at the employer's discretion, if such discretion violates constitutional principles, the Act on Equal Employment and Support for Work-Family Balance, or the Constitution, it must be corrected."

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