By Bae Ji-sook
Staff Reporter

Gender equality appears to be making headway in Seoul, with relevant indexes showing a steady increase in women's status and opportunities within society, according to a recent survey.

According to the Seoul Foundation of Women and Family, the overall gender equality index for women marked 46.42 in 2008, a slight rise from 45.47 in 2007. Seoul is the capital so this index doesn't necessarily reflect an overall trend in the country.

This means that for every 100 opportunities for men, women get 46.42.

The 19 surveyed categories include the employment rate of elderly people over 60 years old, the national pension fund's subscription rate, and the ratio of female employees in the public sector.

While the index showed a slight but steady rise in other sectors, the employment rate of females in government sharply fell, from 20 percent to 11.3 percent in one year.

"The city government has been focusing on providing cultural infrastructure and other softer policies, but what it really needs to focus on is giving real job opportunities to women," Kim Chang-yeon, a researcher at the foundation, said.

bjs@koreatimes.co.kr