South Korea’s Labor Ministry has been blasted for advising women to tell potential employers that they have no problems with sexist jokes in the office and have absolutely no interest in getting married, reports the Korea Herald.
The sexist interview tips were posted on a government-run recruitment site and offered “ideal answers” to questions female job seekers may face in a job interview.
In response to a question about sexual harassment, women in South Korea were advised to say, “I wouldn’t mind casual jokes about sex and it is sometimes necessary to deal with [sexual harassment] by making a joke in return.”
The ministry also encouraged female job applicants to say, “I have no interest in getting married for awhile” even if they did have marriage plans because “it is common for female workers to quit their jobs after getting married.”
When asked about child bearing plans, women should respond: “Although I have a responsibility as a woman to raise a child, I am more than willing to continue working [after having a baby] if the company recognizes [my abilities].”
And of course, since women don’t make any meaningful contributions in the workplace, the ministry said women should promise to always “to do [their] very best even if it’s just making a single cup of coffee.”
The post sparked the fury of many NGOs, including the Korean National Council of Women, and was deleted by the ministry on Friday.
“It is sexist of any employer to only ask women about their plans on marriage and child bearing,” the Korean National Council of Women said in a joint statement. “And the government is in fact encouraging employers to discriminate against women.”
In 2013, South Korea ranked last among OECD countries for employing female college graduates.
–STORY BY REERA YOO
This story was originally published on iamkoream.com
Photo courtesy of AFP
