1. Background for the Establishment of Action Center for Women's unemployment
The advent of the economic crisis in late 1997 has led Korean women to face severe unemployment. Women were affected by compulsory and prior dismissals and forced to transfer to contract workers. However, the public view of this women's unemployment was so predominantly male-centered and outdated discriminatory that ideology of "women come homes" raised its ugly head, rationalizing prior dismissals of women workers. Gender equality achieved by women workers were at the risk of collapsing. Women householders were in particular threatened. It was almost impossible for fired women workers to find new jobs. Women's unemployment did not become a social issue and the government released no measures to solve the problem.
In this situation, Action Center for Women's Unemployment was set up on June 9, 1998 with the aim of making women's unemployment a social issue and carried out series of campaigns to pressure the government to set up measures for women workers to overcome unemployment.
2. Main Activities
1) Direct Support Services for Unemployed Women
* Counseling: Counseling on jobs and family matters, providing comprehensive information on
women's unemployment.
* Lectures for re-employment, a meeting place for job seekers: Providing comprehensive information needed for re-employment including the real situation and issues concerning women's unemployment, job training, types of public service work and its registration procedures, medical support services for dismissed women householders, information on receiving temporary social welfare benefits, job planning, interview methods, etc. Women exchange information and try to understand their situation, lessening their feelings of defeatism and increasing their capability to survive.
* Skill and Job Training : Women get more opportunities for various skill and job training to help women get hope and strength for the future.
* Aid for poor women : Providing food or fuel supplies to protect unemployed women from severe winter
* Medical Support: Carrying out medical support services with the help of medical NGOs. Unemployed women and children under the age of 18 receive 30 to 50% discount of medical insurance payments.
* Job-creation Projects : Operation of sideline work programs for unemployed women. Participation as assistant child welfare workers in government public works.
2) Policy Campaigns, Research and Policy Recommendations
* Research & Public Discussions: Monitoring public employment agencies, publishing the case studies of women householders and unemployed women, research on long term programs to overcome women's unemployment, discussion in conjunction with the first anniversary of the establishment of Action Center for Women's Unemployment on the evaluation and policy proposals of women's unemployment, discussion on the measures to overcome unemployment faced by middle-aged women, on the case studies of preparations undertaken by women university graduates to overcome unemployment, and on the measures to overcome gender discrimination in the process of job seeking.
* Policy proposals for overcoming unemployment: Five campaigns were undertaken once a month demanding government policy measures together with two major trade unions and a university coalition to achieve women workers' rights. Undertaking continuous campaigns for policy implementation on women's unemployment.
3) Organizing 'Sang Jo Hoi', mutual assistance group : 'Sang Jo Hoi' was formed in each of eight regions to counter women's unemployment. Members of 'Sang Jo Hoi' help each other and come up with measures to counter unemployment.
3. Results of Action Center for Women's Unemployment
1) Support programs for unemployed women: To help and lessen the pain of unemployment through job counseling, skill training, and to provide job information and medical support as well as aid for poor women
2) Organizing Unemployed Women: The greatest result achieved by Action Center for Women's Unemployment lies in organizing of unemployed women and making their voices loud in the society.
3) Making Women's Unemployment a Social Issue: Completion of case studies through counseling and publication of reports, holding public discussions and publicity campaigns through rallies and demonstrations to help change public opinions which only emphasized the pain of men's unemployment.
4) Policy Reflection: Many of the measures put forth by Action Center for Women's Unemployment were reflected in government policy such as introduction of the special measures for unemployed women householders, extension of work for women in public projects, government research on women-friendly public works, execution of the National Basic Livelihood Plan and guaranteeing minimum livelihood, etc.
4. Self-Support Activity Center
1) Main Objectives
* Creating work to avoid poverty for the achievement of a productive welfare society
* Contribution to increase the quality of life due to the income increase of low-waged women
and women of secondary social status, and conditional beneficiaries.
* Support to increase in the individual quality of self-support and to cultivate cooperative
awareness through community experience and project activities.
* Construction of Social Safety Net by providing comprehensive family support services.
2) Operational Aims
* To maintain successful self-support programs with the development and management of the
potentials of the beneficiaries and people with low-income.
* To heighten the success of self-support programs through coordinated support systems in order
to meet the challenges after entry into the labor market and in order to increase the desire of
beneficiaries and people with low-income.
* To create a gender-neutral model of self-support programs through the supervision of case
studies in consideration with the characteristics of women's life patterns.
* To overcome `the feminization of poverty' and to achieve women labor rights and
contribution to productive welfare.
* To enhance regional community spirit and to construct a social safety net through
comprehensive services for families who are the supporters and obstructers of people in
self-support programs.
* To activate a liasing network of civilians and the government for the increase in the
efficiency of self-support programs and for the regional stabilization of people in self-support
programs and for the effective operation of women-related self-support programs.
3) Guro Self-Support Center
* Common Work Room
Common work room for designated beneficiaries is used as a basic evaluation process, the first step being the completion of toys, the second step the completion of clothing and finally, the assembly of electronic products. That is, providing sideline work for people in conditions unfavorable to employment as a method of life support and opening a way for these people to join a business group or community after passing through step-by-step work processing.
* Another Room
Another Room is a self-support clothing community open to the beneficiaries who have undergone step-by-step work processing in the common work room for producing and selling clothing or house accessories.
* `Fox's Skill'
`Fox's Skill' is a brand name of clothing company created by Seoul Branch of KWWAU, meaning of high skill. Every month, two job-seekers are assigned to the process of production, receiving direct training and this leads to employment opportunities. Production is expanded through education sessions on skill-training once a month.
* Cooking Project
Cooking project provides training for people who want to develop and open their own food business. Raw materials for cooking are supplied.
* Helpers for Mothers Project
Helpers for Mothers Project is to make up an occupational community carrying out training to secure jobs for members of the project. Members are trained and dispatched as helpers to the homes where mothers have given birth. Monthly regular meetings are held in order to share experiences and exchange information.
* Comprehensive Helpers Project
Like the helpers for mothers project, this project is to build an occupational community which trains people as maids, cleaners and so on as part of a comprehensive helpers project. A monthly discussion is held to increase cohesion of members and effective operation of the project.
4) Bupyong Self-Supporting Center
Designated by Ministry of Health and Welfare, the Center is to carry out self-support projects for low-income people and to give information necessary for self-reliance, skill training, support for economical activities such as business openings, etc. Participants manage the operation and nurturing of self-support communities and common work rooms and share job introductions. Also the Center holds self-support contract projects, and develops many activities for improving the welfare of residents from other regions.
* Lunch-box Community "Mother's Taste"
This is for the unemployed women and they make contracts to supply lunch for children and workers. They prepare all types of lunchboxes (company lunchboxes, lunchboxes for events) with care and love and take orders for gimbab and kimchi as well.
* House Renovation and Construction Community "Master Craftsman"
This is for unemployed people with low-income who have the intention to be part of self-support house renovation and construction projects and they repair public offices, schools, parks, social welfare facilities and non-profit organizations.
* Private Nursing Community "Mother's Touch"
This is a fully service-oriented community for nursing the sick. Community members have to complete a training course under a professional instructor and then dispatched as private nurses to the sick in hospitals or homes or as helpers for women who have just given birth.
11 hours - 30,000 won / 24 hours - 45,000 won
* Free Housing Repair Project
This project provides free housing repair services to the beneficiaries of National Basic Livelihood Plan, the elderly who live alone, disabled people, and so on.
* Welfare Private Nurses' Project
This provides free private nursing care at home or in the hospitals to the beneficiaries of National Basic Livelihood Plan, the elderly living alone, the disabled, boy and girl householders and other seriously ill people who have no family members.
* Common Work Room Project
This operates common work rooms for producing 'Han Bok' Korean traditional casual dress and common work rooms for producing electronics parts and toys to give sideline work for the participants.
5) Buchon Self-Supporting Center
Designated by Ministry of Health and Welfare, the Center is to carry out job consulting, job training, operation and support of communities concerning self-support and self-reliance activities for low-income women in the Buchon region. The Center creates public service works and also provides economical, social, psychological support for self-reliance.
* Basic Projects for Self-support Projects
① Consultation
․Counseling for the beneficiaries of National Basic Livelihood Plan
․Job counseling/ counseling on self-support activities/ life counseling
․group counseling for building self-esteem
② Education
․Community education to enhance awareness on self-reliance
․Self-support project-oriented education
․Job training for women householders
③ Business Opening Support Projects
․information for business loans
․supporting joint business openings
④ Surveys and Research Projects
․Model development for women self-support work
․Analyzing the types of self-support work applicants and holding research and discussions on
the resources for self-support work
* Social Work Creation Project
① Sharing Private Nurses' Service Project
․offering private nursing care to seriously ill patients without guardians in low-income
families
․free private nursing care in hospitals or at home
② Dispatching teachers for after-school activities
․supporting teachers in non-profit study classes as welfare services for children in
low-income families
․guiding children after-school hours and creating work for women
* Operation and Support of Self-work communities
① food community
․well-trained women from low-income families with excellent cooking skills prepare
food and meals.
․common meals in the offices or factories
․all kinds of kimchi / side-dishes
․lunchboxes for events - meals for nursery schools
② Durea’ Comprehensive Helper Dispatch Project
․dispatching trustworthy and well-trained people.
․Domestic helpers: parties, house cleaning and other household work
․Helpers for mothers: Operates a program to help new mothers
․Babysitters: natural and communal with tender care
․Private Nurses: caring for patients at home & hospitals
③ Straw Crafts Project
Training by a master in traditional straw craftsmanship and support provided for operation of crafts room or training as instructors inducing the spread of traditional culture and self-reliance
④ Durea Car Cleaning Project
Training program offered on car maintenance/cleaning and also providing steam cleaning and coating using a steamer cleaner in places convenient to customers, helping to increase income and self-reliance
⑤ Operation of Common Room for Sideline Work
Training on making clothing and later introduction to jobs or development into self-support communities | |
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