The Action Center for Women's Unemployment
Evaluation of Three Years' of the Action Center
Park, Jin-young KWWAU, Research Officer
In 2001, the Action Center for Women Unemployment has widened its scope of work base on its successes for the past years. KWWAU branches in seven districts have been designated as self-supporting organizations. This paper evaluates the projects and results of the Action Center. And also to bring forth measures for new projects.
1. Background for the Establishment of the Action Center
The advent of the economic crisis in late 1997 has led Korean women to face severe unemployment. Women were affected by compulsory and priority contract dismissals and were forced to transfer to contract work. However, the public view of unemployment was that it was predominantly a male-centered problem and the outdated discriminatory ideology of "women return to your homes" raised its ugly head, rationalizing priority dismissals of women workers. Gender equality achieved by women workers were at the risk of collapsing. Women householders were particularly affected. It was almost impossible for dismissed women workers to find new jobs. Women's unemployment did not become a social issue and the government released no measures to counter the problem.
The 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 to carry out campaigns to pressure the government to set up measures to overcome the problem.
2. Contents of Activities
1) Supporting Programs for Unemployed Women
Programs such as counseling to introduce jobs, "a recruiting day for unemployed women" and educational programs for re-employment, skills training, life and medical support, sideline work rooms, dispatching tutors for children during after-school hours were undertaken to create jobs.
The counseling programs were highly thought of by the women workers for the kind manner of the counselors, comprehensive information available, and comfortable surroundings and could be distinguished from other public organizations for the comprehensive information available to the unemployed women. Also realistic support was given to the women workers other than job counseling in the form of public works, job training, accepting applications for temporary life support and women householders together with information on government policies. Psychological counseling on family and every day life matters was also undertaken. Such programs led to more concrete job-seeking projects in 1999. A monthly campaign was held by the Seoul branch of the KWWAU. Leaflets were handed out in places where there were many enterprises with the contact numbers of the Action Center.
Other activities include providing information on the types of public works available and ways of application, introducing medical support programs and application for life support, recent employment trends, job-designing, interview points and other information needed for re-employment. Unlike the every day counseling sessions, the recruiting day acted as an educational sphere for unemployed women and place for women to exchange and share information reducing the sense of hopelessness and adaptation abilities. On the recruiting day, women received information on job awareness, learn how to conduct themselves in practice make-believe interviews, get introduced to jobs suitable for women, how to study for certificates of qualifications, job aptitude tests, etc.
Skills training cannot become the foremost measure to overcome unemployment but it has done much to lesses the pain of dismissal and give hope to women in searching for new methods of employment. Furthermore, skills training does provide better opportunities for reinstatement and thus, will be continued in the future.
Most women face difficulties when they are laid off. Life support was given to these women in the form of rice and coal and has continued from 2000 to prevent women from suffering without rice and heat in the severe winter. Also medical aid was provided by linking up medical NGOs with unemployed women and children of unemployed women under the age of 10 were given 30 to 50% discounts in medical payments.
The Center also concentrated on providing jobs for unemployed women by operating sideline work rooms and dispatching teachers to help with children of low-income families in daycare centers. regular meetings were held with the management of the daycare centers to enabled the smooth operation of the project as well as monthly meetings of dispatched teachers, education of teacher assistants, situational surveys, etc. In 1999 and 2000, regional projects became more active to increase job opportunities. These projects gathered strength because they were designated by the government for the dispatch of workers to public works undertaken by the government and because they received governmental support for their self-support projects.
2) Policy Campaigns, Research & Policy Recommendations
Diverse activities have been carried out to increase publicity on the reality of women workers. The Action Center took on the purpose of publicizing hidden unemployment which did not appear on government statistics on unemployment. The monitoring of public employment agencies was undertaken and public debates were held in three districts on the matter concerned, The Seoul, North Cholla and Incheon districts of the KWWAU undertook the publication of the situational study of women householders and unemployed women and helped increased public understanding on the issue involved., Research on long term programs to overcome women unemployment was completed with emphasis on self-support programs and the results of the research were publicized. Three public debates were held in 1999 and 2000 on women's unemployment. A discussion in conjunction with the first anniversary of the establishment of the Action Center on the evaluation and policy proposals of women unemployment was also organized as well as discussion on the measures to overcome unemployment faced by middle-aged women. Further discussions on the situational study of preparations undertaken by women university graduates to overcome unemployment and measures to overcome gender discrimination in the process of job seeking.
Public debates were also held to make the voices of unemployed women workers heard with the attendance of representatives from the government, political parties, academia, and citizens' groups, publicizing the reality of women unemployment and demanding policy implementation. There were also continuous campaigns and actions for policy recommendations. Starting from July 9, a total of five campaigns were undertaken once a month demanding government policy measures with the two major labor unions and a university coalition to achieve women worker rights. Also undertook campaigns for policy implementation on women's unemployment and a more realistic execution of the National Livelihood Act.
3) Organizational Activities
Mutual aid organizations are the most important for unemployed women. First started by the KWWAU Incheon branch, they quickly spread to the other regions. Anyone wishing to become a member can join and members aid each other and encourage each other to step up measures for employment. The principle of the mutual aid organizations is "to help other women just as they have helped me." Members are operating a unemployed women group, a public works monitoring group, groups according to occupations, etc.
Based on such activities, organizational projects were boosted in 1999 and 2000. Group counseling and other educational programs were fostered. The purpose of these educational programs lied in the efforts to create a model for other educational programs for unemployed women. As of May 2000, there are mutual aid organizations for middle-aged women in 8 districts throughout the country.
Monthly meetings are held by mutual aid organizations and a newsletter is published. members also participate in campaigns such as signature-drives for demanding unemployment measures, job-creation and budget for public works; and also in debates concerning women unemployment, etc, to make their voices heard on related matters.
3. Results of the Action Center
1) Support programs for unemployed women
Helped lessened the pain of unemployment through job counseling, technical training, providing job information, life & medical support and many women benefitted directly or indirectly from the programs.
At the national rally calling for 'the implementation of unemployment measures
for long-term unemployed workers and opposition to the reduction of public works' (June 17, 2000)
2) Organizing Unemployed Women
The greatest result achieved by the Action Center lies in the organizing of unemployed women and reflecting their voices on society.
3) Making Women's Unemployment a Social Issue
Undertaking situational studies through counseling, writing up reports and holding public debates, publicity campaigns through rallies and demonstrations. Helped change public opinion which only emphasized the pain of men's unemployment.
4) Policy Reflection
Many of the measures put forth by the Action Center were reflected in government policy such as the 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. For A New Start
Based on the results of the activities in 2001, the Action Center has currently been designated to carry out self-support projects in 7 different regions (Seoul, Ansan, Bucheon, Incheon, Machang, Gwangju, Busan). Through such projects, the Action Center will be able to carry out more active projects to aid poor women. The projects are expected to create a self-reliance model for women. Such high expectations were due to the various educational programs, operation of work rooms and communities.