04-02-2010 

19:07

Korea’s Income Gap by Gender Largest in

OECD  
By Kim Jae-won
Staff Reporter

Despite numerous improvements in women's social status, Korea is at the bottom of the list of advanced
countries when it comes to the gap in income between men and women. 

According to a report by the 30-member Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD),
Korea found its income gap by gender to be the largest men among 22 surveyed member countries. 

On average full-time female employees get paid 38 percent less than their male counterparts on the basis of
statistics from 2003 to 2006. The gap is more than double the OECD average of 17.6 percent. 

European nations showed their women workers were enjoying

relatively better pay, grabbing top places on the list. 

Belgium came first with a 9.3-percent income gap, followed by Poland

and New Zealand, which both marked 10 percent. Denmark, Greece
and France also appeared on the top 10 board with 11, 11.5 and 12
percent, respectively.

Japan's income gap by gender was the second largest among the
OECD members with 33 percent. 

The difference in Germany, Canada and the U.K. was also above the
OECD average at more than 20 percent. 

The report said sharing the burden of child rearing, which can be
shown by more active use of "paternity" leave, is a key to narrowing
the gap between men and women. 

"As long as women rather than men take time off work to provide care for children, there will always be
employers who perceive women as less committed to their career than men, and are therefore less likely to
invest in female career opportunities and depress female earnings as a whole," the report said. Promoting
flexible workplace practices also can reduce the income gap, it added.

Korean government officials said the income gap is big, as women quit jobs when they get pregnant, so work
is under way to provide them with better day care services so they will be able to work with less concern about
child rearing. 

"We encourage companies to provide in-office childcare centers for working moms. It is mandated by law that
workplaces, which have more than 500 employees, should establish childcare centers for workers," Lim Jong-
hwan, an official of the Ministry of Labor, said.

shosta@koreatimes.co.kr