｢Announcement of the third basic plan for gender equality policy[2023~2027]｣ and national gender equality index (NGEI)

Coming up with the phased adoption of a system of public disclosure of gender ratio status of employees and expansion of vocational training for promising jobs of the future including new technology/high added value, etc. for women experiencing career interruption 

Improvement of childcare services such as adoption of Neulbom elementary school and expansion of childcare services and strengthening of adult care support such as lifelong care of those with development disabilities and prevention of isolation of one-person households

Stricter punishment of sexual harassment·violence perpetrated in the public sector, stalking, sexual offense against children, etc.; expansion of support for victims

Invigoration of gender equality education anddissemination of balanced gender culture through enhancement of gender representativeness in the public‧private sectors

NGEI - 75.4points, up 0.5 points compared to the previous year

Rise in family·safety; decision making showed a continued rise but fell behind the other sectors.

The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family (Minister Kim Hyunsook) convened the Gender Equality Committee (Chair: the Prime Minister), fixed the third basic plan for gender equality policy designed to realize "a society that upholds gender equality and where everyone is happy," and discussed NGEI, which refers to an index of the country’s gender equality status. The following is the major content of the session: 

* A document-based session (Jan. 16 ~ 18) (composed of a total of 25 members : including the Chair (Prime Minister), Vice Chair (Minister of Gender Equality and Family), 13 from the government, and 10 from the private sector)

The third basic plan for gender equality policy (2023~2027) set "a society that upholds gender equality and where everyone is happy" as its vision and the following three objectives: "fostering an environment where all work together and care for children together"; "promotion of safety and right to health"; and "expansion of basis for gender equality." 

The third plan, which has been set up with the policy environment and people’s demand reflected, adopts the following main tasks: Fostering a working environment with fairness and gender equality; Establishment of a childcare safety network for all; Provision of support for violence victims and guarantee of gender awareness-based right to health; Dissemination of win-win genderequality culture; and Strengthening of basis of gender equality policy.

[Task 1] Fostering a working environment with fairness and gender equality

Promotion of a system of businesses’ voluntary public disclosure of gender ratio status of employees in factors like employment, work, retirement, etc. 

Invigoration of women’s participation in economic activities by strengthening services designed to prevent women experiencing career interruption and expand their future job opportunities.

Review of how to rearrange the current childcare temporary retirement system in relation to the expansion of those eligible for employment insurance; promotion of expansion of childcare temporary retirement period (from one year to one and a half years) for the sharing of childcare burden between man and wife.

Striving to recognize the right of employees to reduce their work hours voluntarily to spend more time for childcare or care of sick family members; Support for the expansion of family-friendly workplace culture through the designation of exemplary businesses.

* Designation of exemplary businesses in family-friendliness: for 15 years in the case of large-sized businesses(4 times of certification); for 12 years in the case of SMEs(3 times of certification)

Encouraging the invigoration of work at home and teleworking at SMEs; inclusion of support for work-life balance for subcontractors in the appraisal of large-sized businesses concerning accompanied growth.

[Task 2] Establishment of childcare safety network for all

Expansion of support for non-homeroom teachers at childcare centers and extracurricular activity hours for more efficient all-day childcare services for infants.

Diversifying extracurricular activity programs and increasing the number of those taking part to eliminate blind spots in childcare for elementary schoolers*; adoption of elementary neul-bom (warm like spring) school (phased extension of hours up to 8:00 pm)

* Percentage of elementary schoolers taking part (’22) 45.1% → (’25)60%; number of relevant programs adopted at elementary schools: (’22) 172,644 → (’25) 200,000

Increasing the hours of government support for childcare service and number of households receiving the support provided to working couples or the like requiring childcare aid; increasing the number of joint childcare centers.

Strengthening support for those who should raise children such as single parents, young parents, foster homes, servicemen, etc.

Strengthening the infrastructure for official adult care(e.g.,seniors, the disabled, those with severe disability) including expansion of integrated nursing service, enhancement of service quality, and support for those with development disabilities.

Provision of support for repairing problematic relationships like family conflict through local family centers; Provision of customized programs per lifecycle to prevent the isolation of one-person households or the like.

Strengthening the supervision of childcare workplaces and improving the working conditions of their employees; coming up with ways to protect employees against violations of their right to work and workplace violence and those engaging in emotional labor. 

[Task 3] Provision of support for violence victims and guarantee of gender awareness-based right to health

Improvement of laws·systems concerning sexual violence, sexual harassment·violence in the public sector, stalking, sexual offense against children, etc. to establish the basis for supporting victims. 

Strengthening the infrastructure for the protection of victims of five leading offenses (crimes perpetrated by those in power, digital sex crime, domestic violence, stalking, dating violence).

Making more effort to prevent secondary offense through theprovision of customized educational sessions designed to prevent violence by high-ranking officials and those at law enforcement institutions.

[Task 4] Dissemination of win-win gender equality culture

Holding gender equality education sessions through cross-curricular subjects to learn for the invigoration of gender equality education; improvement of elements related to gender-based discrimination outside classes like life guidance, sports activities, etc.

Setting up a plan for the enhancement of gender representativeness in the public sector as part of efforts to maintain balance in the participation of both genders in leading areas of the public sector*

* Departments in the central government, local government officials, public institutions, teachers, and those at government committees, etc.

Carrying out the diagnosis (consulting) of organizational culture to encourage balanced participation by both genders in the private sector; promotion of informal sessions and visits to sites for exploration of exemplary cases or the like.

Establishment of cooperative relationships with exemplary businesses to secure gender representativeness in decision-making organizations within businesses; Checking (monitoring) the status of their compliance with the Capital Market and Financial Investment Business Act, Article 165-20.* 

* No stock-listed corporation whose total asset holdings is at least two trillion won shall have a board of directors made up of just one gender.(amended on 2/4/2020, enforced on 8/5/2022)

[Task 5] Strengthening the basis of gender equality policy

Working to strengthen the functions of the Gender Equality Committee by reviewing factors like addition of function of recommendation, whether follow-up measures are taken, and coming up with ways of proper management.

Strengthening of the system of delivering gender equality-related policies by strengthening the functions of organizations responsible for the relevant policies in each government ministry* and invigoration of linkage of the relevant policies formulated at the central/local governments.

* Ministry of Education (MOE), Ministry of Justice (MOJ), Ministry of Defense(MOD), Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism (MCST), Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW), Ministry of Employment and Labor (MOEL), Supreme Prosecutors' Office, National Police Agency

Faithful execution of gender equality-related international conventions and major resolutions such as UNSC Resolution No. 1325, etc. 

Exploration of gender equality-related policy agendas concerning Asia-Pacific through the UN Women Centre of Excellence for Gender Equality; invigorationof exchanges with those within the region designed to strengthen the relevant policy-related capability.

We at the MOGEF have checked the country’s gender equality status* annually since 2010 to see whether the gender equality policy is formulated in the right direction under the Framework Act on Gender Equality.

* The gender equality indexincludes factors related to eight areas (such as economic activities, welfare, family, etc.) in three realms (such as gender equality-based participation in society, women’s rights/welfare, gender equality-based awareness·culture, etc.)

In 2021, the country’s NGEI stood at 75.4 points, up 0.5 points from 2020 (74.9). The country’s local gender equality index was 77.1, up 0/3 points from 2020 (76.8).

* NGEI: (’17) 72.1 → (’18) 73.1 → (’19) 73.9 → (’20) 74.9→(’21) 75.4

* Local gender equality index: (’17) 74.2 → (’18) 75.5 → (’19) 76.2 → (’20) 76.8→ (’21) 77.1

By realm, the country’s gender equality status showed the highest level in women’s rights·welfare (82.9), followed by gender equality-based awareness·culture (74.9) and social participation (69.7).

By area, health showed the highest level in gender equality status (96.7) and the lowest level in decision making (38.3).

- The area of decision making showed the largest margin of increase [(’20) 36.4  (’21) 38.3 among the eight areas mainly due to an increase in the ratio of Gr. 4 female government officials or higher* and female members of the National Assembly,** but it remains an area whose overall level is at the lowest among the eight areas.

* Ratio of Gr.4 female government officials or higher: (’20) 36.3 → (’21) 39.5 (3.2↑)

**Ratio of female members of the National Assembly**: (’20) 20.3 → (’21) 22.9 (2.6↑)

- The area of family showed a rise [(’20) 63.6  65.3 (’21)] due to a continued increase in the number of male employees taking temporary retirement for childcare. The area of safety also showed a rise [(’20)  72.1  (’21) 73.1 thanks to the improvement of overall safety awareness indicator.**

* Gender ratio concerning temporary retirement for childcare: (’20) 32.4 → (’21) 35.6 (3.2↑)

** Gender ratio concerning overall safety awareness: (’20) 76.7 → (’21) 78.5 (1.8↑)

Gender Equality and Family Minister, Kim Hyunsook stressed that this is a time that requires a shift to a gender equality policy for all generations. The Third Basic Plan for gender equality policy will play a central role in the country’s gender equality policy over the next five years, she added. 

"All government ministries will work together to achieve a substantial result through the detailed execution plans to be formulated each year and strengthening of the management of NGEI areas that remain weak so that people can feel the effect of the policy under the Third Basic Plan for gender equality policy," she vowed.