Female workforce nears 10 million

By Kang Seung-woo

The number of working Korean women neared the 10 million mark last year, as their participation in economic activities continued to surge over the past few decades, government data showed Tuesday.

On top of the quantity of jobs, females saw their quality improve as well, which means their social status has substantially bettered although some would still disagree.

According to the Ministry of Strategy and Finance and Statistics Korea, the female workforce averaged just shy of 10 million in 2010 at 9.91 million, up 142,000 from a year earlier.

The figure hit the 9 million mark for the first time in 2002 tallying at 9.22 million. Since then, it steadily grew to 9.87 million in 2008. But the global financial crisis and the resultant economic downturn ended the upward streak in 2009, when it declined to 9.77 million.

Also of note is the expanding presence of women in professional and managerial jobs ― more than a fifth of them were working in high-salaried positions such as company executive for two straight years through 2010.

A total of 2.08 million women qualified for the hyped jobs last year, up by 67,000 from 2009.

Critics may contend that the figures are still too small but they represent a big jump from the past. For example, the proportion stood at a mere 12 percent or 1.02 million in 1996 ― it surpassed the 15-percent milestone as late as 2003.

Despite the rising trend, a majority of women are still not a part of economic activities in Asia’s fourth-largest economy as female economic participation was 49.4 percent last year

The figure is more than 7 percentage points lower than the average of the members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. It also contrasts that of the country’s males at around 73 percent.

In order to further boost the economic activities of women, the Seoul administration said that it is seeking various ways to support them.

The government plans to increase its employment support centers from 77 to 99 across the country, while raising quotas of female employees to help them get jobs at major companies and public institutions.