"Should Women's Universities Be Maintained by Gender?" vs "Need for Spaces to Foster Female Leadership"

Ministry of Gender Equality and Family Holds 3rd Gender Equality Talk Concert on the 21st
Young Participants in Their 20s and 30s Share Experiences of Gender Imbalance
Debate on Women's Universities, Mandatory Military Service, and More

"Times have changed significantly from the patriarchal past, so I don't see the need to have separate women's universities as institutions for women's higher education." (Male, 30s)

"In society, there are not enough environments where women can learn leadership. However, at women's universities, you can gain this experience, so I believe they should be maintained." (Female, 30s)

On the afternoon of the 21st, at KT&G Sangsang Planet in Seongdong-gu, Seoul, 19 young participants in their 20s and 30s engaged in a heated debate on the topic of "Gender Perception Gap Among Youth Entering Society" at the 3rd Gender Equality Talk Concert, Soda Pop. They shared cases of gender imbalance they experienced during their school years, career exploration, university life, mandatory military service, and job preparation, and discussed the causes and possible solutions.

In particular, they exchanged diverse opinions on biases surrounding women's universities, the issue of converting them to coeducational institutions, and the increasingly extreme gender perception gap.

Won Minkyeong, Minister of Gender Equality and Family, held the 3rd Gender Equality Talk Concert "Sodapop" on the afternoon of the 21st at KT&G Sangsang Planet, discussing the topic "Gender Perception Gap among Young Adults Entering Society" with young participants. Ministry of Gender Equality and Family

Mr. Kim (male, 30s) expressed concern, saying, "If you stay in a single-gender environment, you might develop perceptions that are disconnected from society," and added, "If my daughter wanted to attend a girls' high school or a women's university in the future, I probably wouldn't prefer it." He explained that while women's universities once played an important role in ensuring women could receive education without discrimination, the need for them has greatly diminished now that gender-based educational discrimination has disappeared. He also pointed out that being in a single-gender environment could lead to a narrow perspective. Mr. Kim lamented, "When boys' middle and high schools are converted to coeducational institutions, it's not considered a problem, but when girls' middle schools, high schools, or women's universities are converted, it becomes an issue."

On the other hand, some argued that since universities serve as a stepping stone before entering society, women's universities should be maintained as a means to encourage women's still-low participation in society.

Ms. Kim (female, 20s) said, "I've been advised several times that attending a women's university is not a bad idea if you want to work in the policy field," and argued, "Although gender-based educational discrimination has eased, women's participation is still limited at a structural level in society, so women's universities should be maintained."

Another Mr. Kim (male, 30s) noted, "I think women's universities should be maintained in the academic field, but in terms of training professionals, it may not be advantageous to restrict one gender."

Although participants were divided on the issue of maintaining women's universities, they unanimously agreed that misogyny and misandry in educational settings are serious problems.

Just as women's universities were established to realize "education without discrimination," they pointed out that now is the time to properly teach the value of "equality," which education ultimately aims for, throughout the entire curriculum. They expressed concern that elementary, middle, and high school students are expressing hostility not only toward their peers but also toward teachers of the opposite gender, and emphasized that education authorities need to take action.

Won Minkyoung, Minister of Gender Equality and Family, held the 3rd Gender Equality Talk Concert "Soda Pop" on the afternoon of the 21st at KT&G Sangsang Planet, discussing the topic "Gender Perception Gap Among Young Adults Entering Society" with young participants. Ministry of Gender Equality and Family

Mr. Kim said, "In the case of an acquaintance who is a teacher, four female students in the class falsely accused him of sexual assault, leading to his suspension," and added, "It seems to be an expression of hatred toward the opposite gender, not simply a dislike of the teacher." He criticized, "Such hatred toward the opposite gender is rampant in educational settings, but the response from the education authorities is complacent."

Mr. Lee (male, 30s) also said, "Beyond just misogyny and misandry, various incidents are occurring," and suggested, "It would be good if the Ministry of Education added awareness improvement programs to the curriculum or if the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family carried out activities to raise awareness."

After more than two hours of discussion, Won Minkyoung, Minister of Gender Equality and Family, remarked, "The issue of women's universities is truly a difficult one," and added, "Thank you for engaging so openly, even though this topic might be uncomfortable." Minister Won said, "Many of the issues raised today cannot be solved by the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family alone, so I will request cooperation from other ministries," and regarding gender conflict in educational settings, she stated, "I will also discuss this with officials from the Ministry of Education and the Education Committee."

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