University Graduates: One Woman Hired for every Four Men

[strawberry-efeu.livejournal.com]

Women – not men – were fired in droves at the start of the 2008 financial crisis. But was that as outrageously sexist as it sounds?

After all, they were the bulk of irregular workers back then, when Korea had a greater percentage of them than any other OECD country. Insecurity was a given, which is why the status and rights of irregular workers was a big political issue years before the crisis.

KoreanLabor

Also, bear in mind that most single people live with their parents until marriage. So, however perverse, there was a certain logic in the government concentrating on securing jobs for (overwhelmingly male) heads of households, as husbands would provide for their wives, and fathers for their daughters.

In such strained circumstances, it sounds almost churlish of women to complain.

But although women weren’t irregular workers when the Asian Financial Crisis hit a decade earlier, yet again they were the first to be fired (ironically, Korea actually had the least irregular workers in the OECD then). Also, it was only this newly emerging irregular work that was made available to women once the Korean economy began to recover, and accordingly the Korean female workforce participation rate has stagnated at the lowest or near-lowest rate in the OECD ever since.

A simplistic account of Korean employment trends over the last fifteen years or so? Perhaps. But was it more systematic sexism than economic logic involved? Almost certainly. How else to explain why three years after the latest crisis, Korean companies are hiring roughly only one female graduate for every four male ones, as the following MK article makes clear?

“Sexual discrimination in hiring” [causes] female university students’ tears
31 October 2011

The goal of one Ms. Lee (25), member of the graduating class of an upper-mid-level Seoul university, is to get a job in finance. Starting last July, she did a two-month internship at a branch of a securities company, where her superb evaluations caused her to be considered the top choice to be given a permanent position. However, she was unsuccessful.

A few days later, Ms. Lee even heard these shocking words from her superior: “I’m sorry, but we got instructions from headquarters to only hire men, so there’s nothing I could do.” Ms. Lee revealed, “Though at each branch, the ranked interns’ marks were much higher for women, at that time there was not a single woman among those hired as permanent employees. I think my dream was crushed for no other reason than that I’m a woman, and it’s not fair.”

Amid severe unemployment, female university students at the threshold of getting jobs are being frustrated and shedding tears. Through women’s increased high levels of education, “female wind” is blowing [female influence is making an impact] everywhere, but it has been confirmed that, in the job market, sexual discrimination in favor of male applicants is serious.

On Oct. 31, the results of an investigation by the Maeil Kyungjae newspaper into the gender ratios of new university graduates hired by 10 major domestic companies last year found that women made up 1 or 2 of every 10 hires. They averaged the percentages of new female employees and found it was 18.5%, not even 20%.



Broken down by company, Lotte Group was the highest at 27.5%, LG and SK were at 20%, GS was at 18%, and Hanhwa was at 17.1%. Hyundai Kia Motors was in the high teens, and Hyundai Heavy Industries had the lowest percentage of women among the recent university graduates they hired, at 9.7%.

Female college students looking for employment often appear in the corporate image advertisements of Doosan Group, which is gaining popularity among current university students, but it has become known that the ratio of female new employees at this company, at 18.8%, is very low. A Doosan official said, “The nature of this business is [requires] an overwhelmingly high percentage of men and so a pretty low ratio of women.” Hanjin limited the range [of information] made public to some subsidiaries like Korean Air, and Samsung refused to release any information.

According to the National Statistical Office, the number of female university graduates last year, at 271,773, outstripped that of male graduates (268,223) for the first time in 10 years. However, the number of female graduates who were unemployed was 142,000, the highest on record.

In the end, it is being noted that there is a lack of arrangements for institutional groundwork from which businesses can actively hire talented women. Experts have emphasized that businesses need to take notice of strengths that only women possess, like delicacy, softness, thoughtfulness, and communicative ability and so change their perceptions at the level of corporate strategy. Kim Wang-bae, a sociology professor at Yonsei University, explained, “As we become a post-industrial society, ‘software society,’ which represents delicacy, is becoming emphasized over ‘hardware society,’ which symbolizes masculinity. Because businesses that excel at capturing consumer demands survive, it is necessary to maximize the strengths of female personnel.” (end)

fivijis143

As always, news like this strongly challenges narratives of a glorious future of Korean grrrl power that pervade the English language media about Korea (see here for a discussion of the above video). But I confess I was still shocked at the figures above, although perhaps I shouldn’t have been when even an implicit advocate of women’s rights like Kim Wang-bae above subscribes to the same delicate women / tough men worldview that Doosan Group does!

source: naver, the grand narrative, KoreanLabor, fivijis143

Comments

[benihime99.livejournal.com]

Unfortunatly that's not only in Korea.
The number might not be as big, but it's the same worldwide

[headswillroll88.livejournal.com]

Kim Wang-bae, a sociology professor at Yonsei University, explained, “As we become a post-industrial society, ‘software society,’ which represents delicacy, is becoming emphasized over ‘hardware society,’ which symbolizes masculinity. Because businesses that excel at capturing consumer demands survive, it is necessary to maximize the strengths of female personnel.”

even the supporters are sexist :/

[bumie.livejournal.com]

I think my dream was crushed for no other reason than that I’m a woman, and it’s not fair.
;-; story of my life

[maple88.livejournal.com]

Hate this so fuckin much.
Especially this part: “The nature of this business is [requires] an overwhelmingly high percentage of men and so a pretty low ratio of women.”
Really? Cuz a female cannot do the same job of a man? I know the Doosan Group works with nuclear power and such... but I don't get why that has to be a "man's job".
Ridiculous.

Actually, it's really interesting, but there are theories that suggests that gender segregation started happening only as we introduced agriculture and we became sedentary societies. When we were hunters and gatherers, the job was split equally among genders.

Anywho, sometimes I feel like SK takes a step forward in making societal changes, but then they take two steps back because of their more traditional values *sigh*

[sk8terac.livejournal.com]

Ms. Lee even heard these shocking words from her superior: “I’m sorry, but we got instructions from headquarters to only hire men, so there’s nothing I could do.”
This is messed up. The fact that they are still privileging sex over ability especially when the female interns are the one getting higher marks depresses me.

[the-erotomanic.livejournal.com]

do they discriminate against women when it comes to healthcare, too?

[royalantares.livejournal.com]

"[S]trengths that only women possess, like delicacy, softness, thoughtfulness, and communicative ability and so change their perceptions at the level of corporate strategy."



This is so unacceptable, anywhere. I'm glad they're bringing attention to the issue of sexism in the hiring process. Baby steps. My cousin was working in a hostile, misogynistic environment and she was the 1 female in a lab full of males. A fucking Harvard graduate and she was still ignored/passed up.

[lil-rach-angel.livejournal.com]

Awesome, Grand Narrative in Omona.

This is quite depressing to hear, but is relevant everywhere still sadly. Only difference is it's in your face that because you're a woman they won't hire you instead of getting "we don't think you'd be the right fit here, etc." and left wondering. Granted, doesn't make it any less frustrating.

Super wary about the fact Samsung refused to disclose the gender ratios of their hires. Automatically thinking their numbers must be really skewed.

[izabera.livejournal.com]

So the kind of discrimination Ms Lee experienced isn't even illegal? Don't they have any equal opportunities laws?

[elizajet.livejournal.com]

I'm not surprised, although it's BS.

I think a big reason has to do with the Korean "tradition" of the female generally being the one who looks after the kid until he goes on to whatever school or kindergarten he would be going to, or at least they would have to take time off for pregnancy.

Also, due to the unfortunate amount of time that companies require you to interact off the clock (company parties, entertaining clients, etc.) I'm not surprised companies hesitate in hiring women, as they are afraid that their families will be the priority, therefore they will not devote the time necessary to attend these functions and won't become part of the "team". Sadly, with quite a few men, especially those that work with bigger corporations, they don't spend much time at home.

It's not uncommon for men who work in big cities with families in smaller towns to only see wives and children one time a week or less.

[noneko.livejournal.com]

In such strained circumstances, it sounds almost churlish of women to complain.


WAT

EXCUSE ME

NO

WTF

[mayshy.livejournal.com]

i only clicked on this cause the girl figure in the pic looks eerily familiar to a photo where yoona posed in the same exact pose and clothing...