When Work Isn’t Enough: The Invisible Load of Korean Women
- Dr. Jaok Kwon
- 17. Aug.
- 3 Min. Lesezeit
Aktualisiert: 18. Aug.
Jaok Kwon
(Centre for Asian and Transcultural Studies, Heidelberg University)
How women in South Korea navigate paid work, caregiving, and structural inequality
As working mothers in Germany, we know the daily juggle between our jobs and family life. But how do women on the other side of the world manage these same challenges—especially in a country like South Korea, where rapid economic growth has not always gone hand-in-hand with gender equality?
In South Korea, women’s participation in the labor market has increased over the past two decades. However, many still face a “double burden”: they work outside the home while also carrying the bulk of responsibility inside it.
The Numbers Behind the Burden
In 2023, only 61.4% of South Korean women aged 15–64 were employed—a figure that ranks among the lowest in the OECD* (HRM Asia, 2024). Among mothers with children under the age of 15, employment drops to just 56.2%, the lowest among all OECD countries with populations over 50 million.
Even when women do work, they often face a steep wage penalty. As of 2021, South Korea had the highest gender wage gap in the OECD at 31.1% (The Korea Times, 2023). This means women earn, on average, nearly a third less than men. A 2022 global comparison puts the gap at 31.2% (Visual Capitalist, 2023).
The situation is even more complicated at home. According to the Financial Times, Korean women perform three times more unpaid domestic work than men, including housework, childcare, and eldercare (Financial Times, 2023). This imbalance often leads to career interruptions: over 40% of South Korean women take extended breaks from their jobs after marriage or childbirth.
State Support—And Its Limits
In response to its low birth rate and growing gender inequality, the Korean government has rolled out family-friendly policies: paid parental leave (up to 18 months), subsidized childcare, and campaigns encouraging fathers to share caregiving duties. Since 2006, South Korea has invested over ₩380 trillion (approx. €260 billion) in these initiatives (Financial Times, 2023).
More recently, in 2024, the government launched a controversial pilot project allowing foreign domestic workers to support dual-income families in Seoul, with the aim of easing women’s household burdens (Financial Times, 2023).
Yet experts argue that long working hours, rigid office cultures, and persistent gender norms still push many women to reduce or even abandon their careers.
A Shared Struggle, A Global Conversation
While the scale and context may differ, the challenges Korean women face resonate with many working mothers around the world. Their stories remind us that true gender equality in the workplace cannot be achieved without transforming expectations at home—and building structures that support care work as real work.
*OECD: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, since 1961, is based in Paris, there are currently 38 countries in the OECD (May 2021), Germany is one of the founding members of the organization.
The aim of the OECD is to promote policies that lead to optimal economic development, more employment and a rising standard of living in the member states.
It aims to promote the healthy development of the global economy and contribute to the expansion of world trade.
Source
Jun, Ji-hye. “Women paid 30.7% less than men in listed Firms, 25.2% less in public Offices”, September 6, 2023, The Korea Times.
Song, Jung-a. “Career or family? The dilemma facing women in South Korea”, March 8, 2024, Financial Times.
Song, Jung-a. “South Korea bets on foreign housekeepers to ease women’s workloads and boost birth rate”, July 28, 2024, Financial Times.
Tan, Josephine. “South Korea’s female Employment and Labour Participation Rates lag among OECD Nations”, January 8, 2025, HRM Asia.
Kontakt
Dr. Jaok Kwon
Research Interests:
Sociology of Development
Labour and Gender
Transnational Labour Mobility
East Asian Studies (Korea and Japan)