Quarter of S. Koreans acknowledge gender inequality: poll

SEOUL, March 6 (Yonhap) -- Nearly one in four South Koreans acknowledge the
existence of gender inequality in everyday life, a government poll showed Friday.
The poll, carried out by the Ministry of Gender Equity and forwarded to Rep. Lim
Doo-sung, showed 23.7 percent of the 708 people surveyed said that some
inequality existed in society, with 1.6 percent claiming that there was no
equality between the sexes.
The data, which will be used to compile a national gender equity index (GEI),
showed commonplace inequality being felt the most in such areas as public safety,
promotion opportunities in the workplace, empowerment, wages and child care.
The GEI index is designed to measure inequities in everyday life, with emphasis
placed on inequality in economic activities, education and levels of empowerment
among women.
Among respondents who said women were placed at a disadvantage vis-a-vis men,
88.1 percent said women had to be more careful about their personal safety,
particularly at night, while 75 percent claimed that women had fewer
opportunities to advance in both the government and corporate sectors.
They also said women were discriminated against in terms of wages and had to bear
a greater burden of caring for children compared to men.
To overcome the existing inequality, 24 percent of those surveyed said there was
a need to erase wage gaps in the workplace, while 21 percent called for efforts
to abolish discrimination in hiring practices and 17 percent cited a greater need
to share household chores, including the rearing of children.
yonngong@yna.co.kr
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