70% of Female Office Workers Say "Still Disadvantaged Compared to Men at Work"

#. Manager A, a female employee at a small-to-medium enterprise, said, "External projects or important business tasks are primarily assigned to men, while women are placed in secondary projects or tasks," adding, "As a result, women fall behind in promotions and inevitably feel the glass ceiling."

#. Manager B, a female employee at a large corporation, also stated, "After taking parental leave following childbirth, I have been somewhat passive about business trips, company dinners, and overtime due to childcare responsibilities even after returning to work," and added, "Because of this, I am disadvantaged in evaluations and promotions regardless of actual performance."

[Asia Economy Reporter Changhwan Lee] Despite the gradual introduction of gender equality and work-family balance policies, a survey found that 7 out of 10 working women still feel disadvantaged compared to men in their workplace.

According to a survey conducted on June 6 by the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry involving 300 female employees and 300 corporate HR managers, 71.0% of female employees felt "relatively disadvantaged" in overall company life, including promotions, evaluations, and work opportunities. Only 26.4% felt there was no difference, and a mere 2.6% felt advantaged.

In contrast, 81.0% of corporate HR managers responded that there was "no discrimination" against female employees, showing a significant perception gap between the two groups.

When female employees were asked about advantages or disadvantages as women regarding promotions, performance evaluations, and work opportunities within their companies, negative responses predominated.

To the question, "Do you believe a glass ceiling exists in promotions?" 64.3% answered "Yes," and 44.7% responded that there is a "reluctance to appoint female managers" within companies.

Regarding the question, "How are women generally evaluated in performance assessments?" 66.7% answered "evaluated lower," more than twice the 30.7% who said "no difference." In terms of work opportunities, such as key task assignments that can lead to recognition and promotion within the company, 65.7% of female employees felt "relatively disadvantaged," while only 29.0% said there was "no difference."

Female employees cited "concerns about work gaps due to childbirth and childcare" (44.1%) as the primary reason for feeling relatively disadvantaged in company life. This was followed by "prejudice against women's work abilities" (29.1%) and "male-centered organizational culture" (9.8%).

There were also many negative evaluations regarding disadvantages in personnel matters after taking parental leave and returning to work. When asked whether there is a free atmosphere to use parental leave at the company, 35.7% answered "No," which was higher than the 27.3% who said "Yes." Regarding personnel disadvantages after returning to work, 44.3% of female employees said they "worry," while only 9.0% said they "do not worry."

Professor Kwon Soon-won of the Department of Business Administration at Sookmyung Women's University pointed out, "With the total fertility rate hitting a historic low of 0.92 last year and the recent COVID-19 situation causing school and childcare facility closures, childcare burdens have increased," adding, "To support female talent in balancing work and family, it is necessary to actively operate flexible work systems such as telecommuting to alleviate childcare burdens and establish evaluation systems that align with the trend of smart work."

Regarding the tasks needed to expand the utilization of female workforce in the workplace, female employees prioritized changes in corporate culture, while HR managers most frequently cited infrastructure expansion, showing a difference in perspectives.

Female employees responded most frequently (31.3%) that "eliminating prejudice against women" is necessary, followed by "expanding social infrastructure such as all-day care and after-school programs" (26.3%), "clarifying performance evaluation and promotion criteria" (24.0%), and "improving work methods such as avoiding sudden overtime and company dinners" (16.3%).

In response to the same question, corporate HR managers ranked "expanding social infrastructure such as all-day care and after-school programs" (37.7%) as the top priority, followed by "clarifying performance evaluation and promotion criteria" (22.2%) and "eliminating prejudice against women" (18.5%).

Park Joon, head of the Corporate Culture Team at the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry, stated, "Although the importance of utilizing female talent is emphasized, as of 2019, the proportion of female managers in private companies remains at only 20.9%," adding, "It is necessary to change organizational culture so that women can demonstrate their abilities equally by improving inefficient work processes within companies and clarifying performance evaluation standards."

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