While the wage gap between men and women is narrowing slowly in Korea, female workers still make only 70 percent of what their male counterparts earned per hour last year, according to a report co-published by the gender and labor ministries on Wednesday. The average hourly wage of female workers was 18,113 won ($14) in 2022, while male workers earned 25,886 won, according to the “Women’s Economic Activity White Paper 2023.” This means that even though they work the same amount of time, women earn only 70 percent of what men receive.
However, the general wage gap has narrowed gradually, from 64.8 percent in 2012 to 65.9 percent in 2017, 69.8 percent in 2021, and 70 percent in 2022. Last year, the average monthly wage of men was 4.12 million won, compared to 2.68 million won for women. In the same period, the number of employed women reached 12.1 million. Their employment rate, which is the percentage of women employed among the population aged above 15, has seen a steady increase from 48.6 percent in 2012 to 52.9 percent in 2022.
Still, the employment rate gap between men and women was particularly pronounced in the 35 to 39 age group. It stood at 30.7 percentage points, followed by the 40-44 age group at 27.3 percentage points, and the 45-49 age group at 25.3 percentage points. The number of women experiencing career interruptions decreased from around 2.1 million in 2014 to 1.3 million last year.
Last year’s data revealed that the most common reason for women’s career breaks was childcare, accounting for 42.7 percent, followed by marriage at 26.3 percent, and pregnancy and childbirth at 22.8 percent. Although the frequency of career breaks due to marriage has dropped significantly since 2014, interruptions due to childcare have increased notably. This indicates that while fewer women are quitting their jobs following marriage, childcare continues to pose a significant challenge to their ongoing career progression.
Disparities were also observed even among female workers in a recent study. Last year, the hourly wage of female workers in permanent position was 19,549 won, which is 1.3 times higher than women holding temporary jobs. Labour Minister Lee Jung-sik remarked in the report that, despite the growth in the female labour force and the increasing employment rate for women, “the situation still falls short compared to advanced economies in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).” He pledged the government’s commitment to policies that balance work and family lives.
The government intends to use this white paper, set to be published annually, as a key source for developing policies aimed at enhancing women’s participation in economic activities.
