According to the Washington Post, women in South Korea make 38 percent less than their male counterparts, making it the largest gap in the developed world. This news story just makes me shake my head. How is it that a nation that advanced so far in such a short amount of time, be so backwards? Did Korea advance so quickly, that cultural and societal norms couldn’t follow along at the same pace?
Pressure from the workplace also makes it difficult for mothers to take maternity leave. While South Korean law allows a full year of subsidized leave, only 35,000 parents in a country of 49 million took that privilege. With the added pressures on women to be a good mother, spouse, and daughter-in-law, many are now putting off marriage and children, to fully concentrate on their careers. This isn’t good news for a country with an extremely low birth rate.
Korea is constantly being forced to confront their societal issues, which is a good thing. Their impressive growth as a global player has necessitated it. However, Koreans need to take a cue from their own growth in the economic and technological field, and quickly grow as a society that is more open, equal, and fair. Because what good is a developed and prosperous Korea, if not all of the Koreans can enjoy it equally?
