Gender gap index in South Korea 2016-2023

In 2023, the gender gap index score in South Korea stood at 0.68 points, showing that an average gender gap of approximately 32 percent remained in the country. South Korea ranked 105th out of 146 countries surveyed by the gender gap index.

Traditional gender roles in South Korea

Gender roles in South Korea are vastly different between men and women. Around a third of male and female respondents answered in a survey about perceived traditional male roles that men should not show their weak side and bear the primary responsibility of providing for the family. A survey about traditional female roles showed results of a similar vein. Traditionally male-dominated jobs were considered unsuitable for women. Women were expected not to look strong and focus mainly on childcare, even when working. Such gender roles were reflected in their occupations. According to the 2020 Women in Korea report, a larger percentage of men worked in labor labor-heavy jobs or in top senior management positions such as managers. Whereas In contrast, women tended to work in jobs engaging with customers such as workers in the sales and service sector.

Gender gap in the modern workplace

  Considering the four key dimensions of the gender gap index, the categories of educational attainment and health and survival achieved the best results, reaching almost full marks with a score of around 0.98 points. In comparison, categories associated with positions of power showed a much larger difference. For example, political empowerment scored about 0.169 points. As of 2018, only 10 percent of respondents saw equal pay as the most important issue facing women in South Korea. Although the majority of women believed that an increase of women in leadership positions would correlate to a better world, only 43 percent of women thought that gender equality would be achieved in their lifetime.