By Kim Rahn
Staff Reporter
Women get more education and the number of them engaged in employment has increased. But the number is still far behind that of men, and the disparity in income between males and females is high, according to a report.
The Ministry of Gender Equality and the Korean Women's Development Institute released a report on the changes of Korean women's life Monday at a symposium commemorating the 60th anniversary of the foundation of the nation.
The report showed that only 5 percent of women in 1966 were high school graduates, but the ratio rose to 32 percent in 2005. The ratio of females with college diplomas jumped to 20 percent from less than 1 percent during the same period.
In 1970, 38.2 percent of women were employed, while 48.9 percent of females were in 2007.
Despite the growing number of working women, they do not earn as much as men ― the average annual salary for men increased to 41 million won in 2007 from 2004's 26 million won, but that for women was almost half ― 21 million won in 2007 from 12 million won in 2004.
Public posts saw the largest improvement in women's social status. Females made up 49 percent of people passing exams to become government officials last year, compared to 3.2 percent in 1992. In an exam selecting foreign affairs officials, the ratio grew to 67.7 percent in 2007 from 10 percent in 1992.
But Korea ranked 63rd among 93 countries in the United Nations Development Program's gender empowerment measure in 2007, which shows women's status based on the ratio of female politicians, public officials and professionals.
Amid such changes, the average age at which women got married rose to 28.1 in 2007 from 24.5 in 1987. That of men during the same period also increased to 31.1 from 27.3.
Consequently, women are giving birth to babies later on in life ― in 2005, 50.3 percent of women delivering babies were in their 30s and 47.6 percent were in their 20s, while the ratio of 20-something mothers was over 60 percent up until the middle of the 1980s.
In 1970, 91.5 percent of all marriages were between men and women marrying for the first time. The ratio decreased to 73.9 percent in 2005, with the number of marriages involving people getting married for the second time rising.