Human Rights Commission: "National Technical Qualification for Hairdressers Should Not Restrict Opportunities for Male Applicants"

The National Human Rights Commission of Korea (NHRCK) has expressed the opinion that opportunities for male candidates wishing to take the national technical qualification exam for beauticians should not be restricted.

On the 26th, the NHRCK announced that it recommended the Korea Industrial Human Resources Corporation to prepare measures to expand practical exams for male candidates taking the beautician national technical qualification exam.

Mr. A, a male examinee preparing to obtain the beautician (skin care) qualification, had to travel to another region to take the practical exam because it was not conducted in his current area of residence. Additionally, he filed a complaint with the NHRCK, requesting correction as the number of exam sessions and opportunities for retaking the exam after failure were fewer than those for women.

In response, the corporation stated, "This exam involves a high degree of model exposure, which may cause embarrassment to both the examinee and the model, so the exam is conducted separately by gender." They added, "Due to ongoing complaints about exposure, it is practically difficult to hold simultaneous exams for female and male candidates." Furthermore, they explained, "This exam is conducted based on industry and candidate demand, so the number of sessions may vary by region even for the same category," and "The fewer exam schedules for male candidates compared to female candidates were considered based on the expected number of applicants."

The NHRCK judged that restricting male candidates' opportunities solely based on demand is unreasonable. The commission stated, "The national technical qualification system was established to develop the vocational skills of technical personnel by establishing a qualification system suitable for industry demand, to improve the social status of technical personnel, and to contribute to national economic development," emphasizing that "the public nature is significant as qualification acquisition affects the employment of examinees."

It continued, "Although the proportion of women in the skin care beautician occupation is high, granting fewer opportunities to the underrepresented group attempting to enter this occupation hinders entry by a specific gender," and pointed out, "It is also inappropriate as it perpetuates the structure of a gender-segregated labor market where a specific gender is concentrated."

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