By Chung Hyun-chae
Traditional perceptions of gender roles ― men work and women stay home ― are fading away, research results showed Tuesday.
Three organizations ― the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs, the Institute for Social Development and Policy Research at Seoul National University and the Institute for Social Research at Sungkyunkwan University ― jointly conducted a survey on 1,052 adults aged over 18 last year from June to November.
They compared the results with a similar survey done in 2006, showing how Koreans’ perceptions of gender roles have changed in the last decade.
According to the survey, almost 50 percent of the respondents disagreed that husbands should earn money as the family’s breadwinner and that wives should take care of households in 2016, up from 42.4 percent in 2006.
It also showed that only 37.5 percent of the respondents agreed that it is more important for wives to support husbands to build careers instead of focusing on their own careers, down from 51 percent in 2006.
Lee Sang-lim, chief researcher of the health and social affairs institute, cited two reasons for changes in perceptions of gender roles.
“First, young people’s lifestyles have changed a lot,” Lee said.
According to him, such changes include women’s strong participation in economic activities.
“Secondly, people are becoming more individualized and independent,” Lee said. “With traditional family values waning, a sense of gender equality has gained momentum.”
The researcher, however, pointed out that the nation has a long way to go to fully achieve gender equality.
“While there is a huge wave in gender activities, many Koreans are obsessed with stereotyped gender roles,” Lee said.
“With gender inequality still existing, many Korean women in the workplace face issues that limit their career opportunities and advancement.”