[New Year's Message] Jeong Young-ae "Polarization Deepened by COVID-19, Inclusion and Coexistence Are the Way Forward"

Minister Jeong Young-ae of the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family 2022 New Year's Address
Mentioning the Gender Wage Gap as an "Urgent Gender Equality Task and a Key to Solving Low Birthrate"
Emphasis on Responding to Gender Violence and Considering Establishing Correction Order Authority for Sexual Violence Cases in the Public Sector

Jeong Young-ae, Minister of Gender Equality and Family, is being interviewed by Asia Economy on the 11th at the Minister's office of the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family in the Government Seoul Office Building. / Photo by Moon Ho-nam munonam@

Jeong Young-ae, Minister of Gender Equality and Family, diagnosed on the 31st that social and economic polarization has accelerated and perception gaps between generations and genders have worsened since COVID-19, stating, "Inclusion and coexistence are the way to save us."

In her New Year's address, Minister Jeong emphasized, "Only a society that respects differences and cares for each other can advance toward a ‘sustainable society’ where we work and care together," adding, "This is also why global companies adopt ‘DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion)’ strategies as core strategies for the new era."

Minister Jeong said, "To understand the rapidly changing trends of the times, members with diverse thoughts and backgrounds are needed, and organizations where they feel a sense of belonging and actively ask questions and participate are more likely to succeed."

For example, the gender gap in South Korea’s labor market is among the largest among OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) member countries, which is an urgent issue to resolve. The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family plans to diagnose the reality by announcing gender wage gap information of public institutions and listed companies in September next year to address this.

Minister Jeong stated, "The labor gender gap is both a gender equality issue that must be resolved in itself and a clue to solving the serious low birthrate problem," adding, "Only a society where people are not discriminated against for childbirth and childcare can have children without worrying about future jobs."

Minister Jeong said, "COVID-19 made us realize that if care collapses, our daily lives are also shaken," and added, "Many families faced difficulties due to sudden care gaps, and the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family will alleviate the burden of childcare by expanding government support for childcare services and increasing community childcare spaces such as shared childcare centers among neighbors."

Regarding ‘gender-based violence,’ Minister Jeong said, "We will adopt a more proactive stance by considering the establishment of corrective order authority for sexual harassment and sexual violence cases in the public sector and build a statistical foundation on gender-based violence to implement policies systematically." She added, "We will expand support for the living stability of the remaining 13 surviving former comfort women victims and promote international consensus through UNESCO World Records registration and other efforts."

Institutional measures will also be strengthened to prevent various families from facing discrimination in daily life. Minister Jeong said, "We will expand the target for child-rearing cost support, strengthen the independence and parenting foundation of adolescent parents and single-parent families, and approach the issue of social isolation more seriously through social network support projects for single-person households."

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