Women in Leadership in South Korea

• In Event: Current Perspectives on Asian Women in Leadership

Short Description

Korean women’s low status in global rankings is alarming given the nation’s prestigious status as a world economic power. Why has South Korea’s economic success failed to translate into women’s corresponding status? This presentation will focus on Korean women leaders’ challenges and opportunities to explore answers to this driving question.

Detailed Abstract

Korea has successfully transformed from a poor country in 1950 into a global economic power with a GDP per capita exceeding US 25,000 dollars in 2015 (The World Bank, 2016). Lacking typical material resources, human capital, both men and women included, has played a critical role in economic development. However, Korea’s remarkable economic success failed to translate into women’s corresponding status because the status of Korean women leaders is still considered token with only a small number of women in leadership positions. For instance, Korea’s women respresentation occupies 1% on boards and 2% on executive committees, making the country the bottom among Asian countries (Heidreck & Struggles, 2013). According to the World Economic Forum’s (2016) Global Gender Gap Report, Korea ranks 116th of 144 countries surveyed. With regard to women’s career interruptions, 16.4% of married working women in their twenties and thirties intend to leave their work within one year, and 45.7% answered marriages, maternity, and children’s education as their opt-out reasons (The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, 2014).

Why is Korean women’s status still poor by global standards? Based on the review of the literature on women in leadership in Korea, three major challenges apprear to hinder the growth of Korean women’s status: traditional/cultural constraints (Confucianism and military culture), the gender divide in family roles, and the gendered workplace. In the strict family hierarchy of Confucianism and military culture in Korea, women are expected to obey and respect men’s authority and mainly have family responsibilities, while men are considered as breadwinners. Moreover, in the workplace, women are excluded from networking and leadership development opportunities, while men partake in strong bonding and informal networks (Kee, 2008). As Korean women’s career paths are considerably affected by gender roles, women leaders in the gendered organizations are likely to undergo difficulties in networking and leadership development (Cho et al., 2016). These cultural norms and gender divide are still prevalent in the society, leading to women’ work-life conflicts, difficulties in career choices, and career interruptions.

In my presentation, I will discuss three major challenges that Korean women leaders face. I will also present three possible opportunities for women leaders. Finally, I will provide research agendas for further investigation for women leaders in Korea. This presentation will contribute to help participants have a better understanding of the status of Korean women leadership and uniquely Korean context.

Participant

• Jiwon Park, Penn State