[Comment] On the Government’s plans for strengthening linkage between youth and women employment - The policies are still missing the point

 Today, the ministries concerned jointly announced plans to strengthen the linkage between the employment of youth and women. The government still has not attained a fundamental view on the issue of female work. The key to the solution of the problem is the recognition that female work is low-wage and ancillary; also the fact that even workers with professional position are pushed out in their forties.

 

 Women are discouraged to work because of childcare and career breaks easily occur for them. Because female workers are concentrated in low-wage and ancillary jobs. As of August 2015, the average wage for male irregular worker is 53.7% (1,790,000 won) of what male regular workers receive (3,340,000 won). Female regular workers are paid 68.7% (2,229,000 won) while female irregular workers only receive 36.3% (1,219,000 won). 55.4% of irregular workers who are receiving an average of 1.21 million won a month are all female. Measures for improving employment for women must be taken with a focus on closing the gender wage gap, which is ranking as the worst among OECD countries, and solving the problem of irregular workers.

 

 In addition, the government-announced work-family balance policies are still focused on women, even though women are not only responsible for the current problem. Reducing working hours for men and women is the key to the reconciliation of work and family. Gender equality culture should be established both in work places and at home. However, the government is still setting the policy on the premise that women will work for the remaining time after taking the responsibility of childcare alone.

 

 Why is the government always working on minor issues, avoiding looking into the core of the matter? We would like to conclude this comment with some questions that came after the government’s plan.

 

1. Promote use of maternity leave and prevent career discontinuation of old age or high-risk mothers by acknowledging pregnancy as a cause of maternity leave.

-> Civil servants and teachers can use pregnancy leave. Why should workers in the private sector use childcare leave for pregnancy?

 

2. Promote use of maternity leave and parental leave and prevent unfair dismissal by linking and monitoring the data of health insurance and employment insurance

-> Voices of the field are not reflected as the biggest obstacle in taking the maternity leave is lack of the employer's approval.

-> It is like a doctor coming after the death. How could we secure the effectiveness of preventive measures?

 

3. Where can we see a way for a irregular woman worker to use pregnancy leave and maternity leave?

 

4. Expand introduction of a system of flexitime for certain period starting from the government and public institutions.

-> Isn’t it more urgent to provide options for setting a certain period for current flexitime workers?

-> Why only women are required to find a flexitime job?

 

5. Enhance the effectiveness of active measures for improvement of employment. Consider the indicators for work-family balance for evaluation including existence of day care centers, use of flexitime system, use of paternity leave. Announce the bad practices when the employers fail to meet the requirements.

-> This only applies to workplace with more than 500 employees. Expanding the range of application, specifying the type of employment, specifying the position of the management, introducing penalties and incentives are required for effective operation of the policy.

 

Co-representative of Korean Women Workers Association,

Yun-ok Lim, Jin-kyung Bae