REPUBLIC OF KOREA CLAIMS ADVANCEMENT FOR WOMEN, CONCEDING MORE WORK NEEDED TO OVERCOME PATRIARCHAL TRADITIONS
Press Release
WOM/1070
REPUBLIC OF KOREA CLAIMS ADVANCEMENT FOR WOMEN, CONCEDING MORE WORK NEEDED TO OVERCOME PATRIARCHAL TRADITIONS
19980707Committee Hears of Effort to Meet Requirements Of United Nations Convention on Elimination of Discrimination
There was real progress in the advancement of women in the Republic of Korea, but more work was needed to overcome a patriarchy traditional to much of Asia, expert members of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women said this afternoon as they continued considering the combined third and fourth reports of that country on implementing the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women.
Surveys, studies, rewards and awareness-raising programmes for women were needed to eliminate the practices, behaviours and attitudes that increased the values of patriarchy, experts said. Sometimes women contented themselves with having enough to live on and did not work to gain higher positions, one said. Women had to overcome natural timidity to express their views and make sure their needs were met.
Korean culture put men in a superior position, another pointed out. Others mentioned concerns about how effectively measures could be enforced when paternalistic attitudes were so ingrained. Others questioned the absence of mention regarding restrictions on the pre-birth sex selection practices which created the "missing million" women in Asia.
In response to the Committee's comments, representatives of the Republic of Korea said the national machinery for women left something to be desired. Areas of work remained, especially with regard to negative images of women and the importance of building women's confidence and increasing support for them.
The Committee was addressed this afternoon by the Chairperson and Commissioner of the Presidential Commission on Women's Affairs and the Commission's Director-General for Policy Planning and Coordination.
The Committee will meet again at 10:30 a.m. tomorrow, 8 July, to begin its consideration of the combined third and fourth reports of New Zealand.
Committee Work Programme
The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women met this afternoon to continue its consideration of the combined third and fourth periodic reports of the Republic of Korea. (For background information on the report, as well as expert comments, see Press Release WOM/1067 of 7 July.)
Experts Comments
One expert said that, compared with other Asian countries overall, the Republic of Korea had made great advances. The national machinery seemed to be very pro-active. However, Korean culture put men in a superior position and, according to the report itself, paternalistic attitudes were the greatest block to women's advancement. How effectively were measures enforced in the Republic of Korea? Were there any restrictions on the pre-birth sex selection practices which created the "missing million" women in Asia, which was indicative of the big imbalance in the value of men and women?
Another expert noted legal, childcare and other areas of advancement made for women, and commended the Republic of Korea's recognitin of the need for special legislation.
The Committee also heard that there were big disparities between public and private sector workers. Conditions imposed by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) were said to be one reason for difficulties, especially with regard to small-business workers. An expert asked what measures were being carried out to address those difficulties.
Legislation had greatly enhanced the situation of women, another expert said. Women also had recourse in case of discrimination. Did women have access to the legislation? Did they have access to legal aid? With regard to the nationality Act, the law had been amended to give a foreign woman married to a Korean man the right to choose naturalization. Did that apply to foreign men marrying Korean women? Property had to be in the name of a woman's spouse; did that allow for the direct inheritance of property by women?
With regard to cultural stereotypes, another expert said, societies in Asia were highly patriarchal. How were women made aware of their rights? More work was needed in terms of surveys, studies and rewards for women to eliminate practices, behaviours and attitudes that increased the values of patriarchy. Sometimes women contented themselves with having enough to live on rather than working to gain higher positions. Women had to overcome natural timidity to express their views and make sure their needs were met.
Obviously there were programmes to improve the status of women, another expert said, but more statistics were needed, as for example, with regard to rural women. What kind of programmes were there for those women? What kinds of new businesses were being created and promoted for women overall?
Women's Anti-Discrimination Committee - 3 - Press Release WOM/1070 400th Meeting (PM) 7 July 1998
Several experts noted considerable improvement in the quality of the country's report and presentation, as well as of the advancement of women's conditions since the Republic of Korea had first come before the Committee. An expert said it was clear that the Republic of Korea was determined to improve the lot of women through comprehensive and coordinated measures. However, there was a gap between the political will and the reality. The Confucian culture still mitigated against political will, an expert said. The lack of a culture of gender equality was a serious impediment to women's participation in society.
Questions and comments also pertained to the status and function of the Presidential Commission on Women's Affairs. One expert said the fact that it was directly under the Office of the President demonstrated the Government's political will to improve the lot of women. Did the Commission have the right to present laws and what was its power regarding Parliament? an expert asked.
Several experts drew attention to women in the working world. It seemed the Government paid more attention to working women as mothers or family members than as women themselves, it was said. How would efforts to ensure job protections for women be successful given the restrictions imposed by the IMF? an expert asked. Worldwide, unemployment was increasing -- particularly in industrializing countries -- and women often suffered most from this trend, an expert noted.
Several experts commended the national focus on education, since it would lead to equality and advancement. National education statistics were truly impressive, but led to the question of how such highly educated women were employed and how they coped with being excluded from decision-making positions, an expert said.
More aggressive policies for boosting women's presence in decision- making positions were needed, an expert said. If the momentum to improve women's representation in local politics was not expanded, women's representation might increase at lower and middle levels, but not higher levels. Several experts expressed concern at the low rate of women in the judiciary. Representation of women in the judiciary -- only 3.7 per cent of judges, according to the third report -- was inadequate.
An expert expressed particular interest in evaluating economic value of housework. She asked how the measure had been implemented and what result it had on family relationships.
One expert said there should be more statistics in the next report on the number of women in small businesses as compared to those in the public sector. Also, it was hoped that the structural reorganization of the economy would not impede the employment and advancement of women. There were limitations to equal pay provisions and those criteria should be broadened, for example, to include equal pay for similar work.
Women's Anti-Discrimination Committee - 4 - Press Release WOM/1070 400th Meeting (PM) 7 July 1998
The report clearly indicated the many efforts taken by the Government of the Republic of Korea to advance the equality of women, a number of experts said. With regard to the paternalistic culture, it was known that such thinking thwarted women's advancement. They asked what kinds of awareness- raising programmes were there in the Republic of Korea to counter that pervasive barrier to full valuation of women. One expert said a more intensified gender-sensitive set of indicators for schools, such as the Republic of Korea seemed to have developed, would be useful for many national applications. An expert said that, in many developing countries, special concessions were often granted to businesses that opened industries to attract foreign investment. This was particularly true in textile industries in export processing zones. Most of the workers in those zones were women, paid low wages and lacking bargaining power. They often suffered serious sexual harassment in the workplace. The Republic of Korea's economy had developed by opening its doors to investors. Had the country faced those problems, and if so, how had they been addressed? she asked.
Responses CHANG PIL-WHAN, Commissioner of the Presidential Commission on Women's Affairs, said the Republic of Korea was grateful to share its achievements and challenges with the world experts who made up the Committee. As the Committee had pointed out, the national machinery for women left something to be desired. The Presidential Commission had been expected to have quasi- legislative and quasi-judiciary functions, but was not so empowered. She hoped it would have those functions in the future. In response to the Committee's comments, she said that many victims of Japanese sexual slavery had refused to receive money from the Asian Women's Fund. They felt the point was not simply monetary compensation, but rather that Japan should accept legal responsibility and pay reparations.
Regarding the low representation of women in the judiciary, she said there were currently many women who had passed the bar, so the number of women in the legal profession would soon be increasing.
CHANG SUNG-JA, Director-General for Policy Planning and Coordination of the Presidential Commission, said that specific measures were being taken to change attitudes. Every seven years national education curricula were revised, always with increased gender perspective. Women specialists participated in that review. Women's studies courses were provided to public servants.
HOO-JUNG YOON, Chairperson of the Presidential Commission, in her closing remarks, said the value of the Committee to the advancement of women in her country could not be understated. The Committee, by its comments in response to the Republic of Korea's second report, had raised the country to a higher domestic plateau. It was assured that the Government would step up efforts for the advancement of women, in line with the Committee's comments to the present report.
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Women's Anti-Discrimination Committee - 5 - Press Release WOM/1070 400th Meeting (PM) 7 July 1998