Discriminations against women and marginalized women in Korea

Sung-Eun Shim
(Member of women’s committee,
 Research institute of the differently 
abled person's rights in Korea))

1.  INTRODUCTION
Like in other East Asian countries, discriminations against women in Korea are very strong because of the nature of conservative male-dominating society based on traditional Confucianism. An old saying "male is heaven, and female is earth" is still influential. Sexual discriminations in Korea appear in various areas; in family, employment, education, political participation, government budgeting, etc. Thus, the efforts of the women activists to solve the problem of discrimination have been diversified in many areas such as equal job opportunities, laws against sexual violence/abuse, male lineage laws, enforcing women's political participation, and political decision-making by quota system. In some areas there have been considerable achievements, especially through legislations. But unfortunately, there has not been any real progress regarding marginalized women such as the disabled, the poor, the elderly, prostitutes, lesbians and the increasing number of women defectors from North Korea. These women are neglected and rejected in many places of Korean society.  

However, it should not be overlooked that the problem of discrimination against women will be solved only when the problem of marginalized women is acknowledged and their basic rights are recovered. Concentrating on discriminations against disabled and the marginalized women in Korea, I'd like to present a general overview of discriminations against women in Korea.

2. IN the FAMILY.
In 1985, the overall birth ratio of female vs male was 100:100.2, but in 995 it increased to 100:100.7. One thing that captures our eyes in recent birth rate in 0 to 4 year old group is the serious disparity in sex ratio: in 1985, male babies were 108.0 to 100 female babies, but increased up to 113.4 in 1995.  Especially after the 4th baby, the boy birth rate sharply increases to 213.9 boys vs 100 girls because the girls were aborted when the parents forced out the sex of the baby through an ultra sound. 
Although abortion is illegal, preferential treatment for boys is still very strong. The traditional belief that girls should rely on their fathers in their young age, on their husbands during marriage, and on their sons after getting old is still influential to some extent.  This is also strongly related to the family law which states that males are to be the head of the household and that patrilineage be enforced. 

Also, although the domestic labor mostly done by women accounts for 22.8% of the 
GNP, it is not acknowledged as an economic activity, resulting in degradation of women's economic position.

3.  IN EDUCATION.
85% of male applicants entered universities in 1997, compared to 50.9% of female applicants, which suggests that sons receive more support in academia from their families than girls do.  Discrimination is also prominent: female professors in colleges and universities constitute only 14.4%. On the other hand, female students are high in lower education levels but this drops sharply as the education levels increase.  The teaching curriculum in elementary/middle schools both maintains or reproduces gender stereotypes and roles by presenting image such as male doctors and female nurses.
Sexual discriminations in education/school curriculum should be eliminated for equal partnership and relationship between men and women.

4. ECONOMIC CRISIS AND EMPLOYMENT STATUS.
Women's employment rate reached 48.7% in 1996.  Despite the strong ideology that women's main role is as housewives, many women have to get jobs to support their families.  Even so, sexual discriminations in the job industries are also obvious. In the hiring process, including the interviews, women's appearance, including height and weight is quite often highly valued.  In 1996, the wage of female workers was only 
59.6% of the males of the same degree.  Female workers constitute only 35.2% of the professional field and 4.6% of high ranking official positions. This has no relevance to women's capabilities because many competent women cannot get jobs because of gender discrimination. In recent economic crisis in Korea, unemployment and layoffs are on increase and female workers are the first ones to be laidoff. Women are left out of the welfare system and they are first to be laidoff, especially when they are pregnant or on maternity leave. Because of the patriarchal ideology that males have to support the family, female layoffs are often justified. This causes to make the ratio of female workers high in part time jobs as well as in full time jobs. In Korea, a part time worker earns only 50-70% of full time workers.

5.  WOMEN'S PARTICIPATION IN POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT'S BUDGET FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF WOMEN.
In 1991, after the resurgence of local autonomy in 30 years, many efforts have been made for the last 7 years to advance women's political participation. But disappointingly, women's participation in the National Assembly and the local governments is still minimal. Women's representation in the National Assembly accounts for only 3%  (9 legislators out of total 299) ranking 9th in the world  (IPU, Women in Parliament).   
Women also hold 1.56%, or 71 out of 4,541 of the district council members. Similarly, women hold only 5.7% of the municipal council members.  Among government officials, females constitute 27.8% but their ratio decreases significantly as the ranking goes higher. Only 2.5% in the 5th degree rankings and up. In the presidential election of December 1997, Kim Dae Jung, a leading candidate at the time, had pledged for the realization of a quota system to increase women's representation in the central and local decision-making bodies. 

His promises are as follow: 1) 30% women's quota in every election candidacy; 2) 
30% women's quota in all government committees; 3) 30% of women's participation in party politics and 4) more than 4 women ministers in the new cabinet and 20-30% of women in major policy-making positions.  But the pledge has not been kept since the new administration's inauguration.  Not a single woman was appointed among 6 of the Blue House Chief secretaries; only 4 women were appointed among 32 Secretaries; and only 2 ministers among out of 17 were appointed.  

Furthermore, in observance of the Basic Law on Women's Development ratified in July 1996, the government is obliged to establish a "Comprehensive 5 year Basic Plan in Women's Policies".  But this has been ineffective mainly because the budget has not been fully reviewed and allocated due to a lack of recognition of women's problems. In political areas in Korea, women's issues have been often neglected and disregarded.  It is problematic that the number of women officials in political areas is very few and women have little political power to raise women's issues in basic national policy and decision making.

6.  VIOLENCE.
On top of the already existing domestic violence and sexual abuse, there is an increase in overall violence against women in this specific context of the economic crisis of 1998 in Korea. For example, wife battery increases as home economy worsens, more women are harassed at workplace by male co-workers or male superiors letting off steam. There will be a further elaborate on this issue in other group in this workshop, so I'll pass on this.
                       
7.  DISCRIMINATION AGAINST MARGINALIZED WOMEN
A precise terminology for "marginalized women" hasn’t yet been summarized.  But we could include such women as the disabled, the elderly, the rural, poor women, lesbians, prostitutes, foreign women laborers, unmarried single mothers, and women defectors from North Korea. 

The marginalized women mentioned above are suffering from doubled and tripled discriminations. Although a wide range of marginalized women actually exist in our society, they are neglected, and an accurate data of the population or status of these women haven't been studied. Although the discrimination against the marginalized women is more severe than discrimination against other women, social efforts to protect their rights are very limited. The biggest problem is that there is no basic support for marginalized women's movement to demand their rights. It is fortunate that a disabled women's group called, "Bit Jang"(Gate opening people), began a movement in 1994 and has been a leading force in making a nationwide network system.  But their concerns and supports from outside are still not enough and uncertain.

An extreme example of discriminations against the most marginalized women is the removal surgery of the uterus secretly done on mentally disabled or challenged women by their parents or by the institutions in which they reside.  These are done regardless of these women's decision and intention, and thereby violating there basic human rights. 

The discrimination against marginalized women is highlighted in their employment and economic activities.  By means of recent economic crisis, mass communications and social environment force and encourage wives to cheer up their husbands. They are not concerned about women's suffering and despair and they encourage or demand sacrificing behaviors of women to support the men. 
What is worse, the marginalized women including the disabled are going to remain the jobless with high possibilities through their full lifetime, even though current economic crisis is over, unless appropriate steps and measures are to be taken. Far away from governmental support and concern, most of the marginalized women are suffering during their lifetime even hardly feeding themselves.

8.  CONCLUSION.
I myself am a disabled woman and I am quite aware of discrimination on visible and invisible level. I am deeply grateful to "Korea Women's NGO network" who has helped me in many aspects including this opportunity to make this speech.  I have one thing to ask of the Korean women NGO and Far East Asian Forum. In 1996, about 30 disabled women attended the third "Far East Asian women's forum" held in Seoul in order to express the situation of marginalized women. I am anticipating more progressed/active discussions about the alienated women this time. Actually, we marginalized women need your special concern on the problems like the discrimination and our sufficient economic activities, political participation, violence, and medicare, etc. 
But as one of discriminated/marginalized women, I am so disappointed that I could even find a workshop for the marginalized women. What a pity I couldn't find others raising questions concerning the discriminations against marginalized women even in the "United Nations Convention for the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women"! As a first step to solve all kinds of discriminations against women and marginalized women in Far East Asian countries, I once again would like to urge you to deal with them at the next 4th Far East Asia women's Forum. The issues for the marginalized women should be discussed as a main topic there.  Now it's time for women's movement to resurrect and to extend its concerns dealing with the discriminations against the marginalized women. This is what we are here for.

Thank you very much.