[K-Women Talk] General Election Pledges Must Aim for Structural Reform, Not Temporary Measures

Gender Equality Policies Are Flagship Initiatives for Social Structural Reform
Both Parties Show Limitations by Focusing Solely on Low Birthrate Measures

Chai In-soon, Invited Professor at Paichai University

The general election is about 40 days away. Since the end of last year, campaign promises have been announced one by one. Can we expect much from this election’s pledges? Whether party pledges or constituency promises, the preparation time is short, and looking at reports four years later, about half of the promises are usually not fulfilled. Unlike presidential pledges, feasible tasks are not filtered out, nor is there any self-monitoring or public reporting of implementation status. Because of this, it might be better to temper expectations regarding the fulfillment of promises. Nevertheless, campaign pledges remain very important in elections, as they can serve as a stepping stone for societal progress. Unfulfilled parts of general election pledges may later connect to presidential pledges, so they cannot be ignored.

Can the two parties’ first announced pledges?“Happiness for both Work and Family” (People Power Party) and “Comprehensive Measures for Low Birthrate for the Survival of the Republic of Korea” (Democratic Party of Korea)?truly transform our society? From a gender equality perspective, the People Power Party’s pledge to mandate one month of paid paternity leave and the Democratic Party’s pledge to disclose gender usage of parental leave and promote universal coverage of maternity and paternity leave benefits are positive. Among the Democratic Party’s pledges, providing a monthly child allowance of 200,000 won until age 17 appears important in terms of sustainability, stability, and child rights protection. The People Power Party’s promise to redesign childcare services support into a basic universal benefit regardless of income, with additional support based on income, number of children, and single-parent status, is desirable as it ensures universality and equity.

The problem is that there are few pledges aimed at structural reform. Instead, more conspicuous are short-term, vote-seeking financial handouts. Citizens are confused, wondering if these pledges are merely idea contests without financial plans. It is also unclear whether the announced pledges truly promise a sustainable society. Above all, there is great concern that women’s and gender equality policies are being replaced by low birthrate measures. The People Power Party’s plan to rename maternity leave as “baby welcoming leave” distorts the essence of maternity leave, which is to support the mother’s health recovery and livelihood during that period.

Claudia Goldin, Nobel laureate in economics, pointed out in her book Career and Family that in an era where women’s economic activity is a constant, the conflict between caregiving time and economic activity time requires changing companies’ greedy labor structures. If existing systems such as maternity leave, parental leave, family care leave, and flexible work hours were guaranteed as rights and used equally by all workplaces?not just large corporations?and if the daily working hours were reduced to seven hours, women would have less dilemma between work and childcare. Yet, strong pledges to promote such structural changes are nowhere to be found. In this context, a certain company’s million-won childbirth congratulatory bonus only deepens the polarization of marriage and childbirth, which is already stratified.

Women’s and gender equality policies are de facto flagship policies for social structural reform because they call for changes across political, economic, and social fields. According to a report published last December by the Korean Women’s Development Institute, 84.3% and 77.5% of women in their 20s and 30s respectively demand stronger gender equality policies. Men in their 20s and 30s also recognize the importance of gender equality, though their priorities differ somewhat. Yet, the political sphere remains insensitive. The Democratic Party of Korea’s women’s committee has only proposed 20 tasks. The People Power Party has yet to announce anything. Especially since the People Power Party has declared “gap reduction” as a core agenda for this election, it will be important to see if pledges to reduce gender gaps are included. Considering that gender equality policies are almost absent from national agendas, they should at least be supplemented in the general election pledges.

Cha In-soon, Adjunct Professor at Paichai University

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