[vol.21] [Feature] 2. Re-evaluation of the Effectiveness of the Countermeasure Program for Unemployed Women through Counseling

Feature 2. counselling case studied

Re-evaluation of the Effectiveness of the Countermeasure Program
for Unemployed Women through Counseling

Moon Ja Jeong(Vice Chairwoman, Inchon WWA)

Even though we say that the unemployment rate is dropping as we overcome the economic crisis, the female unemployment rate at present (August 1999)

The level of wages they are prepared to accept - much lower than their previous wages - illustrates their suffering. These are the people who have suffered most from the IMF economic crisis. It is imperative for the government to make efforts to assist this vulnerable sector of workers.

In these difficult circumstances, the government must strengthen its supervising and management role in order to illuminate age and sex discrimination and must implement public education programs on these subjects.

It could also create more positions in public works for middle-aged women workers. is 390,000 - 4.5% of the female population who wish to work. 80,000 of these women are family heads. Those attending vocational training courses, employed in public works, or who have abandoned hope to find new work are excluded from this figure.

Under these circumstances, 8 Action Centers for Unemployed Women collated counseled cases in order to examine the effectiveness of their programs for unemployed female workers.

1. Counseling Case Studies

Difficulty in finding a job due to the upper age limit

- Ms. xx Park, 55 years old, junior high school graduate, with two children, worked in ○○industry for 8 years. She was expelled from the company in 1998 due to downsizing. She then worked in a restaurant for 7 months, as one of its employees was off sick, but had to give back the job when the employee returned to good health. She tried hard to find a new job but could not due to her age. (September, Masan & Changwon WWA)

Differences between recruitment advertising and the real require- ments for the job

- Ms. xx Cho, a resident of a facility for female family heads with no husband, spotted an advertisement in a local newsletter -

a company was recruiting telemarketers. When she phoned them up, she was told that the company was selling electronic goods. She went for an interview and found that the place was a "telephone room".

There were about 20 women answering the phones. She refused to work there, and shop boss humiliated her by saying, "You are not yet hungry enough." (June, Seoul WWA)

Violating the contract without any consultation

- Ms. xx Lee, 38 years old and married, found work in a restaurant. The owner of the restaurant originally asked her to work from 10am to 10:30pm, but would insist that she work until the last customer had left, and she would miss the last bus.

She quit her job after ten days. She was supposed to receive 800,000 won for the time worked but the owner calculated her payment by a daily rate (only 26,000 won per day) and even deducted the expense for two days' recruitment advertising in the local newssheet. (April, Pusan WWA)

Changed standards and principle of the public service work system

- Ms. xx Park, 38 years old and a single mother, separated from her husband two years ago. She had a difficult life due to her financial situation and went to a district office in order to apply for public works. In the district office, she found out that she was still registered as her husband's wife.

Since her ex-husband had a permanent job, she was not allowed to apply for the public service work. Though she is still married, she is in practice a family head. She did not get divorced for fears that her children could suffer as a consequence and so was ineligible for employment in public works.

Normally men are not hindered by their marital status when finding a temporary job in the public service area. This is discrimination against women. (September Inchon WWA)

Special vocational training for female family heads

- Ms. xx Jeong, 49 years old, a senior high school graduate with a daughter of 15, attended a training course for mobile caterers over three months. She has found out that no one from the class was able to find work, and says she had hoped that the vocational training center could arrange jobs.

She is very much eager to work and needs to work for a living, but work was denied her due to her age. She thinks female family heads should be given first priority in school canteens. (Masan & Changwon WWA)

Special loans for unemployed female family heads to set up a business

- Ms. Son, 40 years old and a family head, visited the Labor Welfare Corporation in order to apply for its Support program for female family heads to run a small business. She found a small store and received counseling.

The conditions she had to adhere to in order to receive support were very rigid. The store could not be mortgaged and the applicant had to show that the business would be a good investment.

People around her advised her to give up her bid for support because it was proving so difficult. However, she does not want to give up without a fight. She is still seeking a suitable place.

At the moment she works in a restaurant part-time and attends a vocational training course. (July, Puchon KWWA)

2. Resolution on the effectiveness of the programs for the unemployed

1) Countermeasures to the employment difficulties encountered by middle-aged women should be established. The public business sector should give priority to unemployed middle-aged women workers when hiring and the government should set up links between corporations and unemployed middle-aged female workers.

These countermeasures should allow for greater participation by middle-aged women in public service labor. We also urge the government to support female family heads in new business initiatives.

2) In order to mobilize more unemployed women, related administrative organs should strengthen their management and supervision of corporations that refuse women or the middle-aged or delay payment.

Local newsletters relied upon by many women job-seekers, are notorious for giving false information. There should be a route for appeal on damage caused by falseinformation and local governments should penalize those who knowingly publicize incorrect recruitment information.

3) Programs for unemployed female family heads should be supplemented to be more effective. Those who have completed vocational training courses should be guaranteed a new job. There should be an administration in charge of joint businesses established by groups of female family heads.

4) In order to guarantee basic living standards for the low-income class, the government should emphasize transparency and accountability in measuring minimum living costs. Low-income unemployed women should receive fair benefits.

For that to happen, government servants working in relevant areas must be properly selected. In general administrative offices, more social workers should be recruited and all government staff working in relation to the protection of basic living standards should be given sufficient training and orientation.  

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Korea Working Women's Network 2000