1st week of September : Gender Equality Week
Looking back on and ahead to the journey toward gender equality
▶Designating Sep. 1 as the legal anniversary of the country’s first “declaration of women’s rights” in 1898 and the 1st week of September as Gender Equality Week, starting this year
▶MOGEF to award the Director Lee Yeon-ja of the Eundeok Cultural Center for her devotion to the promotion of women/children’s rights; Director Lee Mi-kyoung of the Korea Sexual Violence Relief Center; Nurse Choi Seok-jin for her huge role in the COVID-19 situation; ‘Bulkot (Flame)’/‘Reset’ that brought the “Nth Room Case” to light
▶As per the amendment of the Framework Act on Gender Equality (amended on 5/19/2020, enforced on 11/19/2020), one day of the Gender Equality Week has been designated as the Day for Equal Wages for Both Genders; a 「session for discussion on bridging the gender pay gap」 is to be held (on Sep. 3)
▶「2020 Gender Equality Forum Korea」 (Sep. 3–4) on the subject of “Gender Equality and COVID-19 Crisis”; 「special exhibition to be held at the National Women's History Exhibition Hall」 on the subject of the History of Anti-Epidemic Activities and the Role of Women (Sep. 4–)
▶Talk concert on the prevention of career interruption experienced by women and work-life balance (Sep. 7); putting up online photos selected through competition about 「Dads taking part in child raising」 (Sep.)
▶MOGEF to award those who have provided distinguished service in the promotion of gender equality and gender impact assessment (Sep. 2); presentation on the “Life of Women 2020 Based on Statistics” (Sep. 3)
* Each of the foregoing events is subject to change depending on the COVID-19 situation.
□ On the occasion of the 「2020 Gender Equality Week 」(September 1—7), central government ministries and local governments, including the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family (MOGEF/Minister Lee Jung-ok), are to carry out an array of commemorative events and programs designed to strengthen the commitment to gender equality under the slogan “One Meaningful Step toward Gender Equality.”
ㅇ Until last year, the Gender Equality Week was observed from July 1 through 7. Starting this year, however, it was rescheduled for September 1 (anniversary of the country’s first declaration of women’s rights) through 7.
- Ordinary married women known only as Lee and Kim drew up Yeogwon Tongmun (Declaration of Women’s Rights) on September 1, 1898, i.e., ten years ahead of the International Women's Day, which was started with the rally of American women workers on March 8, 1908. As a revolutionary action taken in a very patriarchal society, it asked for equal rights in education, jobs, and suffrage for women.
□ At a ceremony held to commemorate 「the 25th anniversary of the Gender Equality Week 」at the Post Tower in Jung-gu, Seoul on September 2, MOGEF is to present awards to those who have rendered distinguished service in the promotion of women’s rights, dissemination of gender equality culture, and gender impact assessment (GIA). The ceremony will be a simplified version considering the COVID-19 situation, with only some of the 75 award winners (including those listed below) present.
ㅇ Director Lee Yeon-ja of the Eundeok Cultural Center will receive the Order of Civil Merit, Camellia Medal in recognition of her distinguished service in communication and cooperation among the circles of women, human rights, and religion and dissemination of engaging social culture while serving as co-chair of the Northeast Asia Women's Peace Conference and running the School for Environmental Education and the Academy for Intergenerational Communication.
ㅇ Director Lee Mi-kyoung of the Korea Sexual Violence Relief Center will receive the Order of Civil Merit, Magnolia Medal for her leading role in the movement for the enactment of a law for the prevention of violence against women. She has also run a center for counseling concerning sexual violence, the first of its kind in the country.
ㅇ Lee Chan-jin, an attorney-at-law of Jeil Law Firm, will receive the Order of Civil Merit, Magnolia Medal for distinguished service rendered since 1997 in coming up with a draft for the amendment of laws for the prevention of domestic violence, sexual assault, and sexual traffic and in laying the groundwork for the promotion of women’s rights through activities aimed at providing legal support for victims of violence.
ㅇ A Medal of Honor will be presented to Sister Kim Eun-seon of Little Servants of the Holy Family. She has devoted herself to the education of women and young people and provision of humanistic support for women and young people of North Korea. Another Medal of Honor will be presented to Director Kim Jung-hee of Gabaeul Corporation for his role in the establishment of a community for women farmers and provision of support for social enterprise startups set up by women.
ㅇ The Presidential Award is to be presented to the following: Choi Gwang-gi, the Representative of Talk Consulting, for his leading role in finding solutions to women-related issues such as abolition of the current patriarchal family system; Lee Gyeong-seon, the Representative of the Jeju Women's Association, for striving to enhance women's representativeness and spread the idea of gender equality in the region; Chairwoman Na Ji-hyeon of the Korean Women's Trade Union for striving to put an end to discrimination against non-regular workers and women workers; and Chairwoman Choi Seok-jin of the Daegu Nurses Association for playing a leading role in the organization of nurses willing to provide services and establishment of a system for the supply of anti-epidemic goods in the midst of the rapid spread of COVID-19 in Daegu early this year. Meanwhile, the Prime Minister’s Award is presented to the Jeonju Women Resources Development Center for its distinguished service to women whose career has been interrupted.
ㅇ In addition, a total of 42 individuals or organizations will receive an award from MOGEF for their role in the promotion of gender equality. The following will receive an award from the Minister of Gender Equality: Bulkot (Flame), which brought the seriousness of digital sex crimes to light by reporting what is known as the Nth Room Case associated with the commercial sexual exploitation of children; RESET, which engaged in positive social media activities including submission of appeals to the National Assembly to prevent digital sex crimes; and Jung An-na, the Representative of Theater Soosoopabori who has gone the extra mile in the dissemination of gender equality in the culture/art circles.
ㅇ Bupyeong-gu, Incheon City will also receive the Presidential Award for its role in the improvement of government policy in a way that will provide benefit to all people, men and women alike, through positive GIA in 2019. Jeju Special Self-Governing Province and Gwangju City are to receive the Prime Minister’s Award for the same feat.
□ Presentation on The Life of Women 2020 Based on Statistics, panel discussion on gender pay gap in public institutions to be held
ㅇ MOGEF, together with Statistics Korea, will hold a presentation on The Life of Women 2020 Based on Statistics pertaining to seven women-related areas (i.e., population/family, decisions made, balance between work and life, violence against women, employment, and health) on September 3.
ㅇ MOGEF will also hold a panel discussion on how to put an end to the gender pay gap on Thursday, September 3 in connection with the step taken to designate Thursday of the Gender Equality Week as the Day for Equal Pay for Both Genders. The session will announce the result of the survey on gender pay gap in public institutions, and the panelists will discuss how to put an end to the gender pay gap.
□ 2020 Korea Gender Equality Online Forum on gender equality and COVID-19 crisis to be held online for two days on September 3 and 4; special exhibition on the History of Anti-Epidemic Activities and Records Left by Women to be held by the National Women's History Exhibition Hall run by MOGEF
ㅇ The 2020 Korea Gender Equality Online Forum will be held with about 25 people in attendance including scholars, those from civic societies, and experts. Gita Sen, a globally eminent scholar of the Public Health Foundation of India, will deliver the keynote speech. The attendees will discuss the impact of the COVID-19 situation on women all over the world in terms of labor, people care, and violence as well as how to realize the goal of gender equality in the middle of the changes in people’s daily lives and society caused by the COVID-19 situation.
* To be relayed live through YouTube as well as the forum’s homepage (Korea Gender Equality Forum)
ㅇThe National Women's History Exhibition Hall (in Goyang, Gyeonggi-do) will hold a special exhibition on the History of Anti-Epidemic Activities and Records Left by Women from September 4 (Opening Ceremony) through February 27, 2021 in connection with the current COVID-19 situation.
□ Talk concert on the prevention of career interruption experienced by women, putting up online photos selected through competition about Dads taking part in child raising
ㅇ A talk concert is scheduled for September 7 at Dongja Art Hall (in Yongsan-gu, Seoul) on the need for building consensus on the prevention of career interruption experienced by women.
- The session is intended to cope with changes in women’s employment caused by the COVID-19 situation with the participation of business representatives, women having gotten over such experience, and experts.*
* The panelists will include Ahn So-mi (a gag woman), representatives of Bioncell and THEVOO Engineering, etc.
- The Centers for Women Restarting Their Business Career (158 centers across the country) will hold various special events like job expo to draw attention to the need to prevent career interruption experienced by women.
ㅇ MOGEF, together with the Swedish Embassy in Korea, is holding an exhibition of photos of Korean and Swedish dads taking care of their babies.
- The session is intended to encourage men to spend more time on baby care and foster such social atmosphere.
- The two institutions will also put up photos selected online (through the homepage of MOGEF and Swedish Embassy and social media in September) in the hope of having the significance of men’s participation in baby care shared by more people.
□ Ministries of the central government and local governments to hold a ceremony on their own to commemorate the 2020 Equality Week
ㅇ Ministries of the central government [such as the Ministry of Justice (MOJ), Ministry of National Defense (MND), Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism (MCST), and Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW)] and local government will hold special events like education on gender equality, lectures, and open competition for the relevant essays in commemoration of the Gender Equality Week.
ㅇ Said events are to be held online or on a small scale considering the COVID-19 situation. Anti-epidemic guidelines (e.g., limiting the number of people attending an indoor event to 50, checking the body temperature, ensuring the wearing of face mask) are to be observed during the events.
□ Commenting on the matter, Minister Lee Jung-ok noted how it is very important to debate how women will take part in the process of creating a new post-COVID-19 society on the occasion of Gender Equality Week.
ㅇ “Women’s broader participation in social activities and the dissemination of the gender equality culture are a shortcut to the realization of the ideal of the country embracing both genders. We at MOGEF will do what we can for the ultimate goal of gender equality,” she vowed.