Excluded from on-site dispatch for being a woman?…Incheon Human Rights Commission Calls It "Clear Gender Discrimination"

"Not Considering the Intent of the Injured Party"

The National Human Rights Commission of Korea (NHRCK) has ruled that excluding female firefighters from vehicle driving duties during on-site dispatch constitutes discrimination.

Yonhap News

On the 23rd, the NHRCK announced that it judged the fire department's act of excluding the complainant from fire vehicle driving duties solely because she is a woman as gender discrimination.

According to the NHRCK, the complainant repeatedly requested her direct team leader, the respondent, to allow her to perform fire vehicle driving duties, but was refused because she is a woman. On April 2 of last year, during wildfire support, male personnel were assigned to drive chemical vehicles, excluding the complainant who was responsible for chemical vehicle driving.

The respondent explained that team members' duties are decided by the team leader after considering the individual's wishes and work experience, and that excluding the complainant from wildfire dispatch was a consideration of the harsh conditions on site and an arrangement of the dispatch team with personnel skilled in the relevant duties.

However, the NHRCK found from witness statements and other evidence that the respondent had a negative perception of women driving, and even if the assignment of other male personnel was at the team leader's discretion, there was no indication that the complainant, who was waiting on site, was asked whether she was willing to dispatch or capable of performing the duties well. Considering these factors, the NHRCK judged that such actions constitute discrimination resulting from infringement of the right to equality.

Therefore, the NHRCK recommended that organizational-level measures be established to prevent recurrence and that gender equality education be conducted for executives. The NHRCK explained, "Excluding women from certain duties under the pretext of protection and consideration is another aspect of gender-discriminatory perception, and even looking at cases from other fire stations that completed wildfire support duties under the command of female firefighters at the same site, it is difficult to find a reasonable ground for the complainant not being able to perform the duties solely because she is a woman."

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