Min Na Park(Editorial staff of Seoul Women Workers Association)

Working women are beautiful but have difficult jobs. In the workplace, women suffer from traditional gender discrimination. Married women face problems such as pregnancy, child delivery and child care as well as demanding husbands and housework.

At that point, many working women give up. So, the working women who obtain gains are much more beautiful. Cho, Yo-Ock thinks it is pitiful that working women stop working because they have to take care of their children. However, she thinks this more importantly depends on her will to work. Due to her strong self-confidence, she worked until the day she gave birth, and was able to continue working happily, although she carried her babies on her back. Let's listen to her story, who has worked with enthusiasm and who is now turning 40 years old.

• Ox-feeding girl having a great desire to learn more

  She was born as the sixth child amongst six daughters and one son, in the small Ocksan village, Pado-ri, Toji-myon, Kooryeh-kun in 1959. Her family was destitute in a poor village. Her siblings were intelligent and good students in primary school, but it was very difficult for the girls to go to secondary high school, because they were responsible for taking care of the family ox, the only family treasure.

  However, Cho, Yo-Ock was determined and finally managed to go to secondary high school, 7 miles far away from her home. She was often scolded: 'I will burn your school uniform and books'. In the 60s, people were poor but those memories are warm and valuable.

  When she was close to graduating from secondary high school, she could not help but wanting to study further. However, going to high school was almost impossible in her poor family situation, even though she was told that she had passed the high school examination. The industrial high school run by the Hanil Composite Textile located in Masan, appealed to her like a good rain in a draught.

  However, her life in the dormitory was awful because holidays were available only once a month and there was a roll-call for students every evening. Working in the production line and processing fleece was very dusty and hard work. Her sister was kind enough to wash her uniform and help her a lot, but she waited for the days when she could return home.

• Sprout of the labor movement grown in the JOC

  The day she went to the Catholic Women's Hall with her friend is an important turning point in her life. At that time, the Yang Duck Cathedral was located in the Hall. She was baptized at that church and joined the JOC. Her interest for the labor movement developed when listening to struggles in the labor movement such as the Dong-il women workers' struggle.

  After graduating from industrial schools women workers usually take up work in electronic companies where job are easier and wages are high. They are tired of the hard work in the textile and garment industries. She too changed job and moved to the Dong Kyong Silicon. After her sister's marriage, she lived in a dormitory run by a nunnery. Many dormitory mates worked at other companies and this was helpful for her work as a member of JOC.

  Before 1987, no independent trade unions were set up in the Masan and Changwon area. It was the same in the Dong Kyong Silicon. She was involved in forming various small groups, carrying out daily activities like resisting to frisks. In the course of preparing to organize a trade union, she was selected as a full-time head of the Education Dept. in the JOC. She never took a break at that time.

  It was 1984 when she went to Seoul because she was elected as a woman president of the National headquarter of the JOC, due to her very positive activities. However, she faced several difficulties because of the conservative attitudes of the Seoul headquarters and its conflicts with local branches.

  She mentioned that she had been able to overcome hardships thanks to the assistance of a supervisor, Father Michael. Working with him was helpful. Because he is open minded and progressive, he established people-centered programs for ordinary people. She got much help from him and was influenced by him.

• Working in Ansan

  After working for two years, she then started working for the Labor Section of the Won Kok Cathedral where friends associated with the JOC had already settled down. Initially the labor movement was very limited there, but it was the time when some people-centered churches and many activitists started working. A cathedral is a good shield for those activists. It was usually open for organizational gatherings and meetings. Because of her activities there, she was often confined in the Kwang-myong police station during chilly winters and smelly summers.

  She worked overnight to prepare for organizing meetings, undertaking education and counselling programs, and performing other activities which can never be stopped. During the large labor struggles of July, August and September, 1987, she contributed to setting up numerous trade unions as if she were a union-making machine.

• Establishing a true world for human beings

  In 1988 she was so busy that she worked until the moment she was taken to hospital to deliver her baby. She took only a month's leave and then went to her office with her baby on her back. She thinks that caring for children is a full-time job. Conflicts usually occur when helps in taking care of children is expected from others. But, she does not want to stop working because of child care. She thinks this is because of her strong will.

  Her situation did not change when she delivered her second baby. She did her best when working and had her children beside herself. It was quite difficult to organize meetings, to participate in rallies, and to undertake activities under those circumstances. In 1990 when a military policeman was killed, the regime started to raid activists' homes. Even though her eldest son was very young, suddenly all of her families had to flee at 1:00 a.m.

  The more she has had these kinds of experiences, the more she has been willing to work, even though she felt sorry for her family. Maybe she is more ambitious to work. Since joining the JOC, she has not even taken a day off. She cannot stop working because she strongly disagrees with the controlling rule over the world.

  She is interested in education for workers and advocates principle of 'labor school', and education programs in the Labor section of the Church. She thinks that workers' education should be based on humanitarianism. Her interest in educating workers is in developing a democratic people with strong beliefs in eliminating hardships in society; she wants to develop people's capacity to find and solve problems for themselves through participatory education.

  Since the labor movement works for human beings, it should be accessible and friendly to correspond to people's demands and circumstances. So, she is working to set up a new model of the movement in accordance with the times. Since her participation in the activities of the JOC, she has viewed the labor movement as her calling, but she has felt limited in working in the Labor Section of the church. In spite of current trends towards specialization, she was limited to working for this weak labor organization without any area of speciality and without being paid.

• Transformation into women labor activist

  In the course of her activities, she joined KWWAU and became responsible for the Ansan Women Workers' Welfare Center (affiliated with the KWWAU). This has not only increased her awareness of women's issues but has also led to the projects for women workers are need.

  In her work, not only her slogan is, 'go to your workplace with specific programs in mind', which means not only to carry out programs for people seeking these programs, but also searching for people needing these programs. Thus, in conjunction with local child-care centers, she held classes for parents and carried out parenthood programs which have been welcome by local people.

  She believes that organizing and developing the programs well received by people will bring about mutual support between those at grassroots levels. She mentions that she has worked like a horse for the last eight months, since opening the Ansan WWA. Through this, she believes that her views on women workers have become more clearer. "I believe everything starts from individuals.

  Nothing is more important than the individual's firm will to change society. Sincere self-control encourages people to develop capabilities and to consolidate passions as activists. Women's powers grow stronger and stronger if women's own characteristics can be developed and improved."

  Since the Ansan WWA started, she smiles and says that work has accumulated every day even though she works hard to accomplish all tasks. The most important thing is to organize people with care and compassion, to be interested in women workers' issues. She hopes to make her organization friendly and accessible to people. Through such efforts, I believe that her hopes and dreams for making joyful and equal society will finally come true like trees blooming in the spring.

• Drinking and Recalling memories

  Translator's note: Drinking amongst friends is an important way of socializing in the Korean society and the labor movement. It is a way for people to let off steam, and to promote friendship and open discussion.

  I ask what is the most difficult in her work. Unexpectedly, she says that she is lonely. Of course, she is always thankful to her husband who understands and supports her 100%, but she also feels some emptiness which she cannot share with him. People have at least one old good friend who can listen to problems, but she usually is the senior person in her activities because many people have left NGOs for a variety of reasons.

  At the age of 40, she would like to have a good friend to talk with when she is lonely and to drink with, but she cannot easily think of anyone to do that with. When we recall our past, we do not meet people without any tension. I hope time will change under new political regime, and in the future people will go to the Kumkang mountain (located in North Korea)....

  Translator's Note : [] Mountain Kumgang carries much meaning for the South Korean people as it has become a symbol of national reunification.

  Then, I hope the day will come when we can sit, talk, and drink without worries.... Before that day, I would like to drink with her, talking about the old stories that she has not shared yet.

This section will appear regularly in this volume, because we feel the need to report regularly the activities of the Action Center for Women's Unemployment (ACWU) in Working Women. The ACWU has been established. This article is an abstract from the monitoring report on public employment centers issued by the ACWU affiliated with the KWWAU on November 30, 1998. This article summarizes the 'results of survey on unemployed women' and 'policy suggestions to strengthen functions of public employment offices'.

1. Analyzing results of surveys on unemployed women

   The survey was conducted by the KWWAU and Seoul Women Workers' Association in the Seoul area, Inchon Women Workers' Association in the Inchon area, Kwangju Women Workers' Association in the Kwangju area, and the Action Center of Women's Unemployment. affiliated with the Pusan Women's Association in the Pusan area.

   This survey aims at finding better ways to identify and solve a variety of difficulties that unemployed women confront, when they cannot easily be employed and when they cannot find adequate counsel. The survey targeted unemployed women with the distribution of 1,000 questionnaires. Out of them, 721 questionnaires were returned and used for this analysis.

   Divided by region, 201 questionnaires were collected from Seoul, 170 from Pusan, 146 from Inchon, and 204 from Kwangju. Among them, 497 women were registered with public offices as job seekers, but 220 were not. The questionnaires with no replies were excluded from this analysis.

   1. Characteristics of the sample

      Unemployed women responsible for family finances make up 58.7% of the survey. Those who have previous working experiences account for 91.9% of the total respondents. Their jobs prior to their unemployment were ordinary clerical (28.4%) and sales women in the service sector (26.0%), which are the great majority. As many as 72.3% represent women who had stopped working within a year.

      Duration of unemploymen
      

      Duration when women are not employed	Frequency	％
      within a year	474	72.3
      2-3 years	95	14.5
      4-5 years	21	3.2
      5-7 years	22	3.3
      +8 years	44	6.7

   2. Results from the survey on unemployed women registered as job seekers with public employment offices

      The women registered with public offices make up 69.3 % numbering 497 persons, among the total respondents. In terms of the public employment offices where they are registered, local labor offices represent 38.1%, manpower banks 20.1%, Industrial Manpower Corp. 26%, District offices 19.9%, the offices of Dong 22.8%, and other public offices 13.9%.

      Also, unpaid temporary agencies account for 0.4%, paid agencies for 0.8%, manpower agencies for 0.8%, Action Centers for Women's Unemployment for 7.2%, and others for 0.6%. Therefore, the offices where the greatest number of women are registered are local labor offices. The offices of Dong are where women usually register themselves for public work. The average number of registered offices is 1.15.

      Numbers of contacts by public employment offices to unemployed people for job placemen
      

      Number of contacts by employment offices	Frequency	％
      once	130	27.4
      2-3 times	55	11.6
      over 4 timesv	26	5.5
      nil	263	55.5

      The reasons for the low rates of job placement are that 40.6% of unemployed women think that jobs are not available, 14.2% regard their careers as not professional and skilled, 17.6% think they are too old, while the low percentage of 6.2% of women indicate that officers are unhelpful and indifferent.

      Why do you think that you are informed of few jobs?
      

      Reasons	Frequency	％
      jobs are unavailable	131	40.6
      officers are insincere	20	6.2
      I am not professional	46	14.2
      I am too old	57	17.6
      I am married	17	5.3
      other	52	16.1

      Concerning the item related to their acceptance of jobs when there was a job opening, 56.5% of women answered that they accepted the job, which is slightly higher than 43.5% who replied that they have not. The reasons for not working despite the job opening were that 33.3% of women said the job was different to the announcement, 17.9% were refused by companies, and 16.7% that the job was temporary, and 13.1% that the working atmosphere made them uneasy. In particular, the reply with the highest percentage confirmed that the job information provided by public employment offices was not adequate and precise.

      Why did you not accept the job opening?
      

      Reasons for not taking positions	Frequency	％
      Jobs were different	28	33.3
      Jobs were temporary	14	16.7
      Working atmospheres were strange	11	13.1
      I was refused by the company	15	17.9
      Other	16	19.0

      The highest percentage of women(38.4%) indicated that the job was different to what they wanted, although the job had been found through public employment offices. Regarding the question about if they registered again after their three-month period, 24.6% of women did re-register, while 43.7% did not re-register, which is over two times the number of re-registered women. The highest percentage (56.6%) of women replied that they did not re-register because they were not guaranteed employment.

      Did you re-register after the three months?
      

      Whether they re-registered or not	Frequency	％
      Yes	90	24.6
      No	160	43.7
      I am not eligible (because three months already passed by)	116	31.7

      Why did you not re-register?
      

      Reasons for not	Frequency	％
      Employment is	98	56.6
      I was already employed	16	9.2
      It is easier to find jobs placed by others than by employment agencies	6	3.5
      I did not have time	19	11.0
      others	34	19.7

      Amongst the respondents, 30.4% identified poor information provision as negative aspects of their counseling, 21.0% mentioned unprofessional job counselling, 17.5% said of officers' rude behaviour, 9.0% said that they felt embarrassed to bother others and to ask for help when the offices were crowded by other job seekers, 8.8% felt the same embarrassment because they had to expose their problems in public as the offices had no partitions between the various sections, and 7.6% mentioned shortage of counselling time.

      To improve the current practices, as much as 27.4% indicated the importance of detailed job information, 24.7% professional job counselling, 20.7% the necessity for the provision of a variety of job information, 18.1% kind and detailed counselling, and 7.9% increasing number of counsellors (with enough counselling time).

      Negative aspect of their counselling
      (The highest two are counted.)
      

      Uncomfortable things in their counselling	Frequency	％
      impoliteness	131	17.5
      lack if job information	227	30.4
      unprofessional counseling	157	21.0
      shortage of counselling time	57	7.6
      noisiness	18	2.4
      I have to read others' minds because the space is not separate.	66	8.8
      I have to read others' minds because it is crowded.	67	9.0
      Other	25	3.3

      Requirement to improve counselling effectively
      

      Requirement to	Frequency	％
      Professional counselors are needed	202	24.7
      Kind and detail counseling is needed	148	18.1
      The increasing number of counselors are needed (in enough counseling time)	64	7.9
      More detailed job information is needed	224	27.4
      A variety of types of jobs are needed	169	20.7
      Other	10	1.2

      Unemployed women wanted a variety of unemployment-related information as well as registration at the same time. Amongst 496 women registered as job-seekers, 94.4% (excluding no replies) indicated the necessity of the provision of unemployment-related information as well as job placement counselling, although the provision of other unemployment-related information accounted for only 32.3%. This represents that adequate one-stop services in public employment offices are not performed. Additionally, most of the cases show that varied and professional job information are not guaranteed, although 16.6% received information on vocational training and 11.0% received public work out of unemployment-related information.

      Did you receive any information, excluding job registration, from public employment offices?
      

      Whether you received any info. excluding job registration	Frequency	％
      Yes	153	32.3
      No	321	67.7

      Do you need any unemployment-related information excluding job placement?
      

      Whether you need any unemployment-related info	Frequency	％
      very much	233	50.9
      yes	204	44.5
      so so	20	4.4
      unnecessary	1	0.2

      Women who feel the necessity for counseling offices(or sections) specializing in form large majority (86.7%) (52.3% replied 'very much', and 34.4% 'yes'). This is in contrast with the replies from public employment offices which did not feel the necessity.

   3. Results from the survey targeting unregistered women

      Unemployed women who had not registered as job seekers numbered 220. As much as 48.2% of them mentioned that they had not registered because they had not known, and 23.3% because employment is not guaranteed; this formed the majority of the respondents.

      In particular, "I don't know" made up 50% of all replies, this confirms poor public campaigning and poor performance by public employment offices, and the necessity for strengthening their functions. Women who want to be registered as job seekers made up 71.6% and those who registered 19.6%, which means that 91.2% women indicated their intention to be registered in the future.

2. Policy Suggestions for consolidating functions of public employment offices - Upgrading significantly the functions of public employment offices, and establishment of independent women's counselling centers-

   1. Basic goals for public employment offices responsible for job placement should be established

      Why do women need the expansion and consolidation of functions of public employment offices! Since the offices have generally dealt with job placement for regular workers in their 20s and 30s, women have instead had to find jobs through paid private agencies.

      Thus, women job-seekers who form the highest number of job seekers are severely affected by this situation. The basic principle that public employment offices should take responsibility for job placement is to firmly be established. The ILO guideline for unpaid job replacement should be used as a reference.

      Additionally, NGOs should function as job placement centers in connection between public employment office and private agencies, without charging workers. The enacted Dispatched Law should also be reviewed.

   2. Independent women's counselling sections for new female labor force should be significantly improved

      It is very difficult for the new female labor force, recent graduates and women re-entering the labor force to find work. They have little job information and lack self-confidence, and find it difficult to look for work. Hence, public offices should expand their job campaigns, and their functions should be consolidated as follows;

      Firstly, there should be more recruiters and they should be managed adequately. Public employment offices should look for recruiters actively. In particular, employment offices should convince employers not to take into consideration women's marital status when recruiting.

      Secondly, more detailed and sensitive counselling is needed. Public employment offices should encourage female job seekers who lack self-confidence through promoting their self-confidence and providing them with detailed information on how to find work. Also, professional counselors should be employed in order to help women adapt to their workplaces and their management should be consolidated.

   3. A system of counseling for women should be established in public employment offices

      Counseling system for women are demanded by many women because they are aware of inadequate job placement services and poor provision of job information in public employment offices.

      Due to severe job segregation between men and women, a shortage of jobs for women, and the underevaluation of the female labor force, it is difficult for the offices to increase the number of female employment through ordinary management and occupational classification. Therefore, a system for independent management of the female labor force in all employment offices is desperately needed.

      Also, women counselors should be employed. In addition, recruiters for women should be guaranteed and managed systematically. Their job placement should be structured and announced on the government employment office's homepage (www.work.go.kr) in order to monitor long-term employment trends and recruitment characteristics, and to share all related information amongst job-seekers.

   4. The Management and monitoring of publicly paid private job agencies should be reinforced

      According to information provided by the Ministry of Labor, only 380 cases of unreasonable job placement were found, and only 24 cases of their illegal activities in job placement were found by labor-related offices in 1998.

      Under the current circumstances in which many women find their jobs through community publications many women continued to be cheated, and an increasing number of women are abused by private agencies who assist them in their employment process. Thus the offices involved should tighten their monitoring of private agencies.

   5. District-based employment offices should be opened, professional counselors should be allocated, and the functions of local governing bodies should be strengthened in close cooperation with national and public offices

      The survey shows the different functions of local government's public employment offices. One of the most essential services performed by local governing bodies is the provision of job placement and counselling services under the current uncertain and insecure economic crisis. It is highly desirable that women be provided with a variety of job information by local public employment offices.

   6. Professionalism and continuous counselling by public employment offices should be ensured

      Both the unemployed women and the job counselors themselves often feel the presence of two few counselors and of their lack of professional training. Interviews with job counselors show that counselors themselves face job insecurity since they are employed under one-year contracts.

      In some foreign countries, these jobs are stable and the officers are not moved to other government departments or other regions because their tasks are graded as highly professional and their performance is desirable. The number of counselors should be increased and their professionalism and long-term employment should be guaranteed in the very near future.

   7. Managing the function of the public employment office to guarantee the number of recruiters

      In terms of the types of occupations performed by women, they are usually insecure and in very small-size firms, the offices involved should therefore strengthen their supervision and monitoring of the activities of recruiters. In addition, recruiters for women should be guaranteed. Most desirable would be to activate all recruitment through public employment offices and to include a maximum of job information on its homepages: systemization is required.

   8. The current counseling atmosphere should be improved immediately.

      Based on survey results, many offices are very noisy. Their offices are shared with other sections. The counselling atmosphere is very noisy and disturbing to the unemployed women because the various offices are not separated. Women replied that they felt uneasy because they had to try to read others' minds. Clearly, the counselling atmosphere including face-to-face counselling should be improved.

   9. Distribution of job information should be immediately expanded to Working Women's Houses and other non-governmental organizations

      This is a matter of data processing and networking on issues of employment with government and NGOs cooperation under the current situation of mass unemployment. Sharing information facilitates job placement and upgrades the quality of counselors. This also promotes the effective development of softwares based on sharing information and experiences in the workplace.

      The government has already planned to direct its efforts toward the improvement of 'the establishment of cooperative systems between educational organizations and those related to job placement' in its project of data processing and distribution of job-related information. Its range should be immediately expanded to working Women's Houses and free job agencies.