"Seoul City Investment-Funded Institutions Must Increase Female Ratio in Senior Positions to Over 10%"

Gender Equality Wage Advisory Panel Proposes Action Tasks to Close the Gender Wage Gap... Discussion Forum on the 8th

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] Seoul City will hold a discussion forum titled "Seoul City Gender Equality Wage Disclosure Model Expansion Forum" on the 8th at 2 p.m. to explore policy directions for improving the gender wage gap in 23 investment-funded institutions. Held under the subtitle "A Hot Cry, A Response to the Gender Wage Gap," this forum will be conducted without an audience to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) and will be broadcast live through Seoul City and TBS YouTube channels.

In the first part of the forum, labor attorney Kwon Oh-sang (Labor Corporation Uiyeon), representing the Gender Equality Wage Advisory Group that has been advising and supporting each investment-funded institution to establish their own gender wage gap improvement plans since last year's "Gender Equality Wage Disclosure," will introduce the advisory process so far.

The advisory group also presented "10 Seoul City Action Tasks" to overcome the dishonor of having the "highest gender wage gap among OECD countries," including ▲ expanding the proportion of women in senior positions (over 10%) ▲ assigning female workers to key core tasks ▲ establishing a gender-equal personnel system ▲ disclosing gender ratios at each recruitment stage ▲ operating 'gender interviewers' to ensure gender equality in the interview process ▲ promoting awareness improvement projects to address gender-based occupational segregation ▲ resolving wage gaps by securing gender-equal working hours ▲ preventing employment interruption through activation of care systems ▲ improving employment environments for men and women through activation of parental leave systems ▲ and establishing a gender-equal decision-making system through strengthening managerial competency training.

Reflecting these advisory contents, Seoul Transportation Corporation and Seoul Foundation for Arts and Culture will announce specific improvement plans as "Best Cases of Gender Wage Gap Improvement Plans in Investment-Funded Institutions."

In the second part, expert discussions will be chaired by Jeon Ki-taek, a member of the Seoul City Gender Wage Gap Improvement Committee. Senior Researcher Guk Mi-ae from the Seoul Foundation of Women and Family will argue that to eliminate gender discrimination in the labor market, not only institutional improvements at the Seoul City level but also urgent legislative efforts for gender-equal wage disclosure by the central government are necessary.

In response, Kim Ki-hyun, Seoul City Women's Policy Officer, is expected to announce plans to incorporate advisory group proposals into institutional management evaluation elements and to recommend to the central government measures such as mandatory disclosure of the status and wages of male and female workers by occupation and rank in the public sector, expanding blind recruitment in the private sector to prevent gender discrimination at recruitment stages, and redefining roles between central and local governments to expand gender-equal wages in private workplaces.

Senior Researcher Kim Jong-jin of the Korea Labor and Society Institute expressed the opinion that "since the core of the gender wage gap is intertwined with the dual labor market, it is necessary to review employment structures, personnel management, and organizational operation methods within public institutions." Kim Tae-in, Vice Chairman (Women’s Chair) of the Public Transport Union, emphasized the need for institutional mechanisms allowing labor unions to participate in the process of supplementing and developing the gender-equal wage disclosure system in the future. Bae Jin-kyung, Representative of the Korean Women Workers Association, pointed out the necessity for each institution to prepare a "gap reduction roadmap" reflecting the voices of female workers and to increase transparency in personnel operations to resolve the gender wage gap.

Song Da-young, Director of the Seoul City Women and Family Policy Office, stated, "The city will continuously support investment-funded institutions to improve the gender wage gap on their own and plans to expand this scope to include public-private entrusted institutions in the future," adding, "We hope this forum will be an opportunity to find solutions for gender-equal labor."

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