The Proportion of Female Managers at Grade 5 in Local Governments Surpasses 20% for the First Time... Female Ratios: Busan 52%, Seoul 50%

Proportion of Female Managers Grade 5 and Above, 17.8% in 2019 → 20.8% in 2020... Busan Highest at 33.0%
Ministry of the Interior and Safety Publishes 2020 'Local Government Female Public Officials Personnel Statistics'

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The proportion of female public officials in local governments has been steadily increasing, and the appointment of female public officials to senior and key positions, which play an important role in policy decision-making, is also expanding.

According to personnel statistics of female public officials in 243 local governments nationwide, released by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety on the 8th, as of the end of last year, the proportion of female public officials in local governments was 46.6% (136,071 people), an increase of 7.3 percentage points compared to 39.3% (132,563 people) in 2019.

The Ministry of the Interior and Safety analyzed, "The continuous increase in the proportion of women is because the number of female candidates passing new recruitments increases every year, while more male public officials retire than females," adding, "In particular, the transition of firefighting public officials to national positions in 2020 also influenced the rise in the proportion of women."

The cities and provinces with the highest proportions of female public officials are Busan (52.6%), Seoul (50.1%), and Gyeonggi-do (49.1%), with Seoul and Busan being the first nationwide to exceed the 50% mark. Last year, the proportion of female successful candidates in the Grade 7 open competitive exam surpassed 50% for the first time at 52.1%, and female successful candidates in the Grade 9 open competitive exam accounted for 57.1%, maintaining a majority since 2005.

In particular, the proportion of female managers at Grade 5 and above in local governments also rose by 3 percentage points from 17.8% in 2019 to 20.8%. This is the first time the proportion of female managers has exceeded 20%. The number of female managers increased 2.7 times over ten years, from just 1,869 in 2011 to 5,165 in 2020.

By city and province, the proportion of female managers at Grade 5 and above was highest in Busan at 33.0%, followed by Ulsan (29.0%), Seoul (27.8%), and Gwangju (27.8%), showing a stronger presence of women in metropolitan cities than in provincial areas. Among basic local governments, Geumjeong-gu in Busan was the first nationwide to exceed 50% female managers at 51.0%, followed by Haeundae-gu (43.5%), Saha-gu (43.4%), Dong-gu (42.9%) in Busan, and Yeongdeungpo-gu (42.5%) in Seoul.

Furthermore, cases of appointing female managers to positions or key roles within institutions traditionally considered suitable for men are increasing. In July last year, Daegu Metropolitan City appointed a woman as the head of the Citizen Safety Office (Grade 2), responsible for disaster management, for the first time in Daegu. Gyeongsangbuk-do appointed its first female spokesperson in January this year, and Gangwon-do appointed its first female secretary-general in the 2021 regular personnel reshuffle. Additionally, in Geumcheon-gu, Seoul, two out of three Grade 4 director-level appointments in January this year were women, and in Hadong-gun, Gyeongnam, women accounted for 62.5% of Grade 5 promotions in the second half of last year, indicating an increase in female managers even in basic local governments.

The proportion of female public officials in core departments such as planning, budgeting, personnel, audit, and main divisions of offices and bureaus also increased from 32.1% in 2011 to 43.3% in 2020. Female public officials accounted for 18.7% (9,762 people) of Grade 6 public officials in 2011, rising to 41.8% (34,654 people) in 2020, and as they are promoted to higher ranks, the proportion of women in senior positions is expected to naturally increase.

Im Sang-gyu, Director of the Local Autonomy Policy Division, said, "Due to various efforts for balanced personnel management in the public sector, not only the scale of female public officials but also their practical roles are expanding," adding, "The Ministry of the Interior and Safety will continue to support through active personnel policies so that everyone can maximize their capabilities regardless of gender."

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