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Korea's gender equality index declines in 2023 amid public attitude changes, declining parental leave use

Published: 17 Apr. 2025, 12:35 Updated: 17 Apr. 2025, 19:15

A caregiver and children walk into a kindergarten in Seoul on Feb. 11. [NEWS1]

The Korean government’s national gender equality index declined in 2023, marking a drop for the first time since the index was published. Worsening public attitudes on gender roles and declining parental leave usage were cited as key factors.

The National Gender Equality Index for 2023 stood at 65.4 out of 100, down from 66.2 the previous year, according to the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family on Thursday. The ministry has published the index annually since 2010, based on 23 specific indicators across seven categories. Final scores are calculated by combining these indicators.

The ministry explained that while the index reflects the status of a given year, “some of the statistics used are only compiled the following year, creating a two-year gap between the year measured and the publication date.”

In the 2023 index, five of the seven categories — decision-making, employment, income, education, and health — showed improvement. However, the "gender equality awareness" and "caregiving" categories declined, decreasing the overall score.

Within the gender awareness category, the score for the “stereotypical gender roles within the family” indicator fell significantly from 60.1 to 43.7. In the caregiving category, the parental leave usage rate dropped from 37 to 34.7, which the ministry attributed to a sharp decline in male parental leave uptake.

“Since the indicator on gender roles within families is based on personal perceptions, identifying a clear cause is difficult,” said Lee Dong-sun, head of the Gender Statistics Center at the Korean Women’s Development Institute. “But it’s likely influenced by the increase in domestic caregiving during Covid-19, and the fact that women predominantly use systems like parental leave.”

The ministry added that since the index was overhauled starting with the 2022 report, it should be interpreted differently from pre-2022 results.

A mother and child are seen at a kindergarten in Seoul on Feb. 11. [NEWS1]

“The ‘gender equality awareness’ category was not included in the existing indicator system, so it's not easy to interpret the decrease in scores because only two scores for 2022 and 2023 are provided,” said Lee.

The ministry also announced on the same day the “Fourth Basic Plan to Promote Women’s Economic Participation,” a legally mandated five-year policy plan. While past plans primarily focused on women returning to work after career interruptions, the new plan broadens its scope to include young women, middle-aged women, and other demographics across all life stages.

For example, the government will partner with “Saeil Centers” — job support organizations for women — near university campuses to offer job training and employment support programs tailored to the preferences of young women.

For mothers re-entering the work force, the plan introduces a new “participation incentive” for completing at least 80 percent of vocational training programs through Saeil Centers, offering 100,000 won ($70.3) per month.

The employment incentive for companies that convert women from internships into permanent roles after a three-month “Saeil Women Intern” program will also be raised from 3.2 million to 4 million won.

“This basic plan marks a meaningful shift in our policy structure to support the economic activity of all women,” said Vice Minister of Gender Equality and Family Shin Young-sook, currently serving as acting minister. “We hope it will expand access to quality employment opportunities for women throughout all stages of life.”

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.

BY NAM SOO-HYOUN [[email protected]]