<What are alternatives to disappearing 98% of women’s jobs? >
On June 15th 2009 when “Win-Win Women’s Action to save common people and save jobs” was launched, the KWWA hosted a forum entitled ‘What are alternatives to disappearing 98% of women’s jobs to?’. In the current economic crisis, women’s jobs are in great jeopardy. The analysis and countermeasures were addressed seriously.
Dr. Yoon Ja-young (belonging to Korea Labor Institute) made a presentation on the situation of women’s unemployment and countermeasures. While the number of males finding a job between November 2008 and May 2009 was declined by 18,000 persons compared to the previous year, she highlighted 762,000 women were decreased, which means women accounted for 98% out of the total number of people whose jobs disappeared. Particularly, there are significant decreases in the number of women in their 20s and 30s whose jobs disappeared by age and those with educational levels lower than high school graduates. Moreover, there were also crucial declines in the number of jobs provided at the very small companies like those employing 1~4 peoples. In terms of types of employment, since there were the most significant decreases in jobs for temporary and day workers and self-employers, women in the very vulnerable classes were seen as being targeted. By industry, there were remarkable declines in manufacturing and wholesale and retail industries. In 1998 in the Korean economic crisis, massive layoffs were conducted by large-size companies, and so relatively financially stable classes were targeted at that time. Now the most vulnerable women have been victimized. That is to say, the norm that women can go back to home any time because of their social status as supplementary reserve workers is still prevailed in the society. Dr. Yoon emphasized the necessity for gender sensitive unemployment measures. She also stressed the necessity for the expansion of the scope of applicable employment insurance through the exemption of social insurance fees. In particular, she mentioned that jobs in the social service sector should be upgraded to decent jobs.
Another presenter, Dr. Eun Soo-mi (belonging to Korea Labor Institute) pointed out the Korean society has been more bi-polarized for the past 10 years: the paradigm of growth that economic growth generates employment and welfare doesn’t work any more; and indecent jobs such as irregular jobs have continued to be increased. She pointed out the 5 structural problems regarding women’s jobs, as follows: ▲ women’s career breaks and downgraded women’s jobs after women’s career breaks ▲ gender job segregation ▲ discrimination in terms of wages and working condition ▲ increases in the number of indecent jobs such as irregular jobs and ▲ low women’s employment rate. She also claimed that socially vulnerable classes such as irregular workers have borne the burden of the current economic crisis.
Lim Youn Ok, head of policy making bureau, KWWA presented focus group interview results by generation regarding the unemployment policies that unemployed women want. The ranges of the women in their 50s who have long working hours to those in their 20s who are still faced with women unequal and depreciating culture raised a question that women are a permanent inner colony in the Korean society. They insisted that subsidiaries should be increased to support welfares and commodity increases for the groups in ultimate need. Further, Ms. Lim said that struggles in solidarity between mothers and daughters should be needed to tackle this materialistic society, because women earning high salaries become wise mothers and good wives in the Korean society.
Hong Hee-duk congressman as a debater mentioned the increase in the number of national and public child-care facilities to lessen childcare burdens and the countermeasures related to social service jobs to provide wards with no need of legal guardians and protectors. Kim Sang-hee congress member promised that she will do her best to make relevant enactment and draw up budgets for women, both. Dr. Kwon He-ja, a researcher working for Korea Employment Information Service emphasized the importance of gender effect evaluation. If the government evaluated gender effects on employment policies, they are surely delivered and the government should prepare for some policies based on them.
Kim Kyeong-yoon, a department head of women’s employment (belonging to the Ministry of Labor) suggested part-time jobs as the most effective alternatives to survive from this tough situation. However, Dr. Eun pointed out the necessity of large-scaled financial investment if women would be able to find decent part-time jobs and the difficulties in the application in our society where long working hours are too prevailed. She replies that it is impossible for companies to implement because of its high costs, and so the government should provide good examples in the public sector if the government continues to make such an insistence.