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| Homeless people rest near Seoul Station in 2019. Yonhap |
Women underrepresented in government tally of homeless population
By Lee Yeon-woo
When people think about the homeless, most come up with the image of middle-aged or older men with fuzzy hair and untidy clothing who lost their jobs and were separated from their families.
This stereotype was shaped partly because most homeless people spotted in the streets are men.
Government data largely supports this perception.
According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare's data, the number of homeless people across the country stood at 14,404 in 2021. Among them, women accounted for only 3,344, or 23.2 percent of the total.
This data raises two questions. First, is it reliable? Second, if so, where are all the homeless women?
Regarding the first question, activists say homeless women are underrepresented in the government tally. The relatively lower visibility of homeless women is because homeless women try not to sleep in the streets out of fear of becoming victims of crime, not least of all sex crimes.
"I have slept in many places here and there. I have slept at Express Bus Terminal Station, Yeongdeungpo Station and Gongdeok Station. But most of the time I stay in places where people cannot notice me," said a 66-year-old homeless woman who asked to be identified by the name "Rosemary."
"I was told that animals don't let others know their sleeping place as it can be a disadvantage. So I do the same. I never tell others where I sleep."
Women are especially vulnerable to crime when others know that they are homeless. To survive, some of them cut their hair short to look like men, refuse to talk with other homeless people or clean places such as public baths in exchange for a short-term lodgings.
Homeless Action, a civic group that has been supporting homeless people since 2001, considers the actual number of homeless people in Korea to be much higher than the government's data.
Hong Su-kyeong, an activist from Homeless Action, said that it is half-true that the relatively lower number of homeless women is related to their tendency to protect themselves from crime. She pointed out the limitation of government surveys of the homeless, saying the places where homeless women usually stay are not included.
"More than half of homeless women stay in a place where they can pay for (an overnight stay), such as saunas, internet cafes or even comic book cafes," Hong told The Korea Times.
People who stay in places such as saunas and internet cafes also fall within the definition of homeless. Under the Homeless Welfare Act, "homeless persons" are people "who have lived without a permanent abode for a substantial period."
"But when the government investigates the homeless, they exclude such places. It only investigates people living in the streets, homeless shelters and slums," Hong said.
As a consequence, the number of homeless women is underrepresented leaving them without adequate support at a policy level.
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| Homeless people, mostly men, sleep in an emergency shelter for the homeless near Seoul Station. Korea Times photo by Bae Woo-han |
Most government-run facilities and sanatoriums for the homeless are predominantly catering to men, and only six facilities are operated for women across the country as of 2017, according to former Justice Party lawmaker Yoon So-ha.
"Once when I was sleeping in a church, the wife of the pastor told me that women cannot come there anymore because homeless men were walking around the place wearing only underpants, and the place will get noisy if they know a woman is there. I felt uncomfortable too as a man put his hands on me once while I was sleeping," Rosemary recalled.
She also said whenever she goes to soup kitchens run by institutions, she has a habit of looking around the place first to check for other women. Homeless men tend to notice her, as it is rare to see women in these places.
"In every aspect ― dwelling, labor, medical care, meals, and many more ― homeless women go through different experiences from men. The government should reflect these gender-related characteristic differences in welfare services," Hong said.
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