South Korea Expands Gender Equality Initiatives

South Korea’s Ministry of Gender Equality plans to establish dedicated departments in 15 government ministries and create legal grounds for mandatory public disclosure of employment equality data. The ministry will expand a public sanitary pad support program, currently running in 12 regions, nationwide starting next year.

These departments, initially created in 2019 for nine ministries, will integrate gender equality perspectives into policy-making and address internal sexual violence. The ministry also intends to strengthen laws regarding women’s health and reduce the gender gap in the labor market.

While the employment equality disclosure won’t be linked to job evaluations, the ministry will analyze wage gaps among the approximately 3,000 companies affected and publish its findings. Additionally, the ministry will pursue the introduction of medical abortion pills, despite previous legal obstacles, and increase efforts to combat digital sex crimes and dating violence. They plan to request the designation of a national “Digital Sex Crime Eradication Day” to raise awareness.