National Gender Equality Index Up 2.1 Points, but Regular Employment, Wage Gaps, and Poverty Risk Worsen

The latest national gender equality index for 2024 shows a marginal increase, reaching 67.1 points, a 2.1-point rise from the previous year. While this headline figure might suggest progress, a closer examination reveals a more complex and concerning reality for women in South Korea. The Hankyoreh, committed to shedding light on societal inequalities, finds that despite the overall score increase, critical indicators related to women's economic standing have deteriorated.

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We need to pay attention to the areas where the scores have continued to decline, as in 2023 and 2024, such as the proportion of regular employment. Especially since the proportion of regular employment is an area where various factors can interact, we need to thoroughly investigate the reasons for the continuous decline.

Specifically, the gap in regular employment and the disparity in wages between men and women have widened. The poverty risk for women has also increased. These are not minor fluctuations; they represent significant setbacks in the pursuit of genuine gender equality. The data indicates that while some areas, like education and health, score highly, the domains of economic participation and decision-making continue to lag considerably. This persistent imbalance is a stark reminder that progress in one area does not automatically translate to overall equality.

Internationally, South Korea's standing remains precarious. While the country has climbed slightly in some global gender gap rankings, particularly in educational attainment, the economic participation and opportunity sectors, including the crucial aspect of equal pay for similar work, show a worrying decline. This suggests that while women are achieving higher levels of education, they are not reaping the same economic benefits or opportunities as their male counterparts.

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We must be careful not to fall into the 'average trap' by directly linking improvements in areas like childcare and decision-making to an improvement in women's quality of life, as the scores in these areas are still very low.

From our perspective, the focus on absolute achievement levels, such as educational attainment, can mask the persistent relative gaps between men and women. The real challenge lies in reducing these disparities in access to resources, opportunities, and power. The government's efforts, while showing some positive movement in areas like childcare, must be more robust and targeted to address the systemic issues that perpetuate economic inequality for women. We must move beyond mere statistics and tackle the root causes of these persistent gaps to achieve true gender equality.

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While improving absolute achievement levels such as education is important, reducing the relative gap between men and women in performance and outcomes will be the key to improving the level of gender equality.