38% of Male Team Leaders in Information and Communication Technology Say "There Is a Glass Ceiling"

Survey of 100 Team Leaders
Unmarried Men 2% Women 27%
Parents Men 90% Women 58%

On March 8, International Women's Day, participants at the 3.8 Women's Day Korean Confederation of Trade Unions National Women Workers' Rally held at Gwanghwamun Square in Jongno-gu, Seoul, are urging for the improvement of labor conditions without discrimination. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunju Lee] Female team leaders working in the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector were found to have a higher rate of being unmarried, fewer children, and longer career gaps.

The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family held a discussion forum titled "Barriers to Expanding Female Executives in the ICT Sector and Improvement Measures" on the 25th at Ferrum Tower in Jung-gu, Seoul, where they announced the results of this survey.

According to the survey conducted on 100 male and 100 female team leaders in the ICT sector, 2% of male team leaders were unmarried, whereas 27% of female team leaders were unmarried. 90% of male team leaders had children, but only 58% of female team leaders did. Career gaps were present in 21% of male team leaders and 58% of female team leaders.

Not only female team leaders but also male team leaders recognized the existence of a glass ceiling, with 72% of female team leaders and 38% of male team leaders responding that a glass ceiling exists.

Provided by Ministry of Gender Equality and Family

For expanding female senior positions, both male and female team leaders commonly identified "improving the male-centered management culture and raising executives' awareness of gender equality" as the most necessary internal company system, while both male and female team leaders ranked "support for work-life balance" as the top government policy priority.

At the forum, Kang Sun-bi, Vice President of the Korean Federation of Women’s Science and Technology Associations, served as the chairperson, with female executives from ICT companies, field experts, and academia participating as discussants to deliberate on ways to expand female executives.

Minister of Gender Equality and Family Lee Jung-ok stated, "The ICT sector offers higher average wages for women compared to other industries, making it a very promising field for young women and others," adding, "We will strive to activate work-life balance systems and create a flexible and gender-equal organizational culture so that women can grow into senior positions."

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