[Women’s Forum 10th Anniversary] 93% Say "No" to the Prejudice That Women Lack Decisiveness and Drive

'10th Anniversary of Asia Women Leaders Forum' Survey

9 out of 10 respondents shake their heads at the question "Hard to achieve results"
54.4% say "Yes" to "Will quit earlier than men"

Source=Getty Images Bank

[Asia Economy Reporter Seulgina Jo] "Because you're a woman, you can't." "How can a woman stand trial?"

These were the remarks heard when Eun-sook Lee, the first female surgical specialist in Korea and director of the National Cancer Center, applied to surgery after graduating top of her medical school class, and when Hee-jin Jo, a first-generation female prosecutor, stood trial. There was no reason to block these women who had already proven themselves by their skills other than the fact that they were women.

Although it has become an era where female surgical specialists and female prosecutors are no longer unusual, implicit biases against women still remain in our society. Are female leaders really less decisive and less driven than male leaders? Is it harder for female leaders to achieve results? And must women simply endure such prejudices?

According to a survey conducted by Asia Economy Newspaper on the occasion of the '10th Anniversary of the Asia Women Leaders Forum,' commissioned to Winzi Korea Consulting, targeting 500 working women aged 25 and over living in the metropolitan area, the majority of respondents strongly opposed such prejudices. When narrowing down major prejudices against women to 10 items and asking for agreement, only one item had more 'yes' responses than 'no.' Conversely, more than 70% of respondents answered that 8 of the items were inaccurate.

◇ 93% Refute "Less Driven"

Regarding the statement "Female leaders are less decisive and driven than male leaders," 93% of respondents answered "No." More than 9 out of 10 (90.2%) also disagreed with the statement "It is difficult for women to achieve results when leading an organization." Kim Eun-jung (34), a 7-year career worker, said, "I wonder if the communication and coordination skills unique to women are being undervalued as 'lack of decisiveness,'" adding, "From my experience seeing many cases where this process leads to stronger drive and results, this is one of the most absurd prejudices."

For the statement "If the leader is a woman, the organization's cohesion decreases," only 10.6% agreed, while nearly 90% disagreed. Shin Sang-wook, a manager in his 40s at a large company, rebutted, "This is a leftover perception and prejudice from the era when company dinners were mandatory," adding, "Organizational cohesion is more directly related to the qualities and styles of all members rather than the leader's gender."

Especially among younger generations, the rate of responding "No" to such prejudices was higher. Among respondents aged 25-29, who are early in their careers, no one agreed that female leaders are "less decisive and driven," "have lower organizational cohesion," or "are poor at building personal networks." However, as age increased, the rate of "Yes" responses also rose. Among respondents in their 50s and 60s and older, one in four said female leaders are less decisive and driven. In the same age group, one in two said women are worse at building personal networks compared to men.

Among the 10 prejudices against women, the statement that received the most agreement was "Women will leave their jobs earlier than men due to internal and external circumstances." More than half of respondents (54.4%) answered "Yes." By age group, those in their 50s had the highest agreement at 59.6%, followed by those in their 30s, 40s, and 60s and older, all above 50%. Even among early-career respondents aged 25-29, about 3 out of 10 (31.8%) agreed.

This is closely related to the responsibilities women bear in childbirth, childcare, and housework in our society. In the first half of last year, about 1.5 million women experienced career interruptions, with 42.5% citing childcare issues as the reason. Other data also confirm women's earlier job departures. According to the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family's review of gender differences in tenure at 2,149 listed companies last year, women's average tenure was 8.2 years, much shorter than men's 12.2 years.

◇ "Minimize Disadvantages from Marriage and Childbirth"

Respondents cited "the burden of childbirth, childcare, and housework disproportionately placed on women" (77.6%, multiple responses allowed) as the biggest obstacle to improving women's social status. By age group, women in their 30s, who face these burdens in their life cycle, had the highest response rate (82.4%), followed by those 60 and older (78.9%), 40s (75.3%), and 25-29 (75.0%). Winzi Korea Consulting noted, "Among women aged 40 and below, who are raising children, the response rate for 'burden of childbirth, childcare, and housework' was particularly prominent."

Additionally, "sexist treatment tacitly accepted throughout society" (40.4%) and "promotion systems favoring men in the workplace" (37.6%) were also pointed out as obstacles. Among those in their 50s, relatively many cited "lack of achievement consciousness among women themselves" (25.0%). While 2 out of 100 respondents aged 25-29 said women lack achievement consciousness, 1 in 4 respondents in their 50s said so.

How can these obstacles be improved? More than 4 out of 10 respondents agreed that disadvantages from marriage and childbirth should be minimized first. Many also answered that broad social solutions such as "changes in social awareness" (25.8%) and "system improvements" (11.4%) are necessary. Responses that women's own consciousness must change accounted for 8.4%. Professor Kwang-young Shin of Chung-Ang University's Department of Sociology emphasized, "Policies that boldly reduce the burdens of childbirth and childcare are needed."

◇ How the Survey Was Conducted

On the occasion of the '10th Anniversary of the Asia Women Leaders Forum,' Asia Economy Newspaper commissioned Winzi Korea Consulting to conduct a survey on perceptions of female leadership. The survey was conducted online from the 12th to 14th of last month, targeting 500 working women aged 25 and over living in the metropolitan area, using a structured questionnaire. The sampling error is ±4.4 percentage points at a 95% confidence level.

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