Women in South Korea - statistics & facts

As in many other countries around the world, women in South Korea have been taking a more active role in society and the workplace. This process is not yet finished and continues to this day. For example, South Korean women’s labor force participation rate and the ratio of wages compared to men have risen steadily. In the same line to this, women are less likely to start families and have children, traditionally a major reason why a woman would quit her job and end her career. The Me Too movement in 2016 spurred more open discussion on women in South Korean society and efforts toward gender equality.

South Korean women and family

South Korean women today are less likely to start families and have children. Concern about raising children after marriage is one of the most common reasons women do not want to get married. Instead, more and more women in South Korea are actively participating in the labor market. Conventionally, South Korean companies were not very considerate of the parental leave of their employees, so a significant number of women ended up terminating their careers. However, in recent years, labor laws have been strengthened to support the balance between work and family.

Careers of South Korean women

While around half of the South Korean women are part of the workforce, the social influence of South Korean women has slowly and steadily risen. For example, the proportion of female executives exceeded 20 percent in companies such as Kakao, Amorepacific, and CJ CheilJedang. However, although more and more women are involved in labor, they are still severely underrepresented. South Korean women are more likely to be less paid at work and overlooked for promotions. The so-called “glass ceiling” is still commonly brought up in the news.
This text provides general information. Statista assumes no liability for the information given being complete or correct. Due to varying update cycles, statistics can display more up-to-date data than referenced in the text.
Published by L. Yoon, Feb 10, 2023

Key insights

Life expectancy of women at birth
85.6yrs
Employment rate of women
52.9%
Industry with the largest share of female company heads
Education
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Number of male births per 100 female births in South Korea from 2000 to 2022

Demographics

Sex ratio at birth South Korea 2000-2022

Female labor force participation rate in South Korea from 2000 to 2022

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Female labor force participation rate South Korea 2000-2022

Reasons why people did not get married in South Korea as of May 2023, by gender

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Reasons for not getting married South Korea 2023, by gender

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