By Lee Eung-tae
My daughter-in-law contracted COVID-19 while caring for her daughter and husband. Unlike the mild symptoms they suffered, she can't even open her mouth because of her severe sore throat. My wife and I were heartbroken that she is terribly sick and burnt out while fulfilling her multiple roles as an attorney in a financial company, wife, daughter, daughter in-law and mother of our granddaughter. Her workload poignantly highlights the dire status of women in Korea.
Over the years, women have fought strenuously for rights that are now taken for granted. Nevertheless, approximately 1.4 million women worldwide are trapped in the sex trade. In places like Afghanistan and Africa, girls receive little or no education, wives are treated as the property of their husbands and women who are raped are callously cast out of their homes for "disgracing" their families. Koreans abhor the treatment of women in these countries, and cracks are appearing everywhere in the glass ceiling. However attitudes are biased and the status of women needs radical improvement.
The COO of Meta Platforms, Inc. (formerly known as Facebook, Inc.), Sheryl Sandberg, wrote: "A truly equal world would be one where women ran half of the world and companies and men ran half of our homes." But the reality is that very few leadership roles are open to female professionals, who drop out of the workforce to take care of their families. Having seen their mothers try to do everything well, other young women may decide to prioritize their careers. This clearly shows that globally, as well as in Korea, social conditions are not yet favorable to women.
Every new president taking office vows to craft a country where men and women are truly equal. However, the blunt truth is that men still dominate. The vast majority of the newly elected presidential transition members are men. It's claimed that the choice was based on ability and experience, not on gender. One official explained: "To serve the country, you need to look at their talent, not their story." Then, does untried talent outweigh past career achievements?
A famous female CEO once said, "In the competitive recruitment market, men are often chosen based on their potential alone, whereas women are judged on their past careers." This statement seems to say that "potential" is the domain of men, not that of women. This logic reflects the distorted perception that men are more capable than women.
Therefore, men are more likely to be appointed to the presidential committee, so when it comes to decision making, women's voices will not be fairly incorporated.
After the election, the new first lady was quoted as saying she preferred to be called the "president's spouse" rather than the first lady. Her desire was to stay in the background, "quietly assisting" her husband, thus conveniently avoiding possible negative outcomes. She seems to downplay and devalue her important role as a representative of women in Korea, and to avoid her innumerable responsibilities, including that of enhancing the status of women. If she yields to the criticism directed at her during the presidential campaign and does not dare to be outspoken, who then will be in the forefront of the campaign for women's rights?
Lee Eung-tae (eungtae@gmail.com) is a former high school teacher who taught English for 35 years.
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Over the years, women have fought strenuously for rights that are now taken for granted. Nevertheless, approximately 1.4 million women worldwide are trapped in the sex trade. In places like Afghanistan and Africa, girls receive little or no education, wives are treated as the property of their husbands and women who are raped are callously cast out of their homes for "disgracing" their families. Koreans abhor the treatment of women in these countries, and cracks are appearing everywhere in the glass ceiling. However attitudes are biased and the status of women needs radical improvement.
The COO of Meta Platforms, Inc. (formerly known as Facebook, Inc.), Sheryl Sandberg, wrote: "A truly equal world would be one where women ran half of the world and companies and men ran half of our homes." But the reality is that very few leadership roles are open to female professionals, who drop out of the workforce to take care of their families. Having seen their mothers try to do everything well, other young women may decide to prioritize their careers. This clearly shows that globally, as well as in Korea, social conditions are not yet favorable to women.
Every new president taking office vows to craft a country where men and women are truly equal. However, the blunt truth is that men still dominate. The vast majority of the newly elected presidential transition members are men. It's claimed that the choice was based on ability and experience, not on gender. One official explained: "To serve the country, you need to look at their talent, not their story." Then, does untried talent outweigh past career achievements?
A famous female CEO once said, "In the competitive recruitment market, men are often chosen based on their potential alone, whereas women are judged on their past careers." This statement seems to say that "potential" is the domain of men, not that of women. This logic reflects the distorted perception that men are more capable than women.
Therefore, men are more likely to be appointed to the presidential committee, so when it comes to decision making, women's voices will not be fairly incorporated.
After the election, the new first lady was quoted as saying she preferred to be called the "president's spouse" rather than the first lady. Her desire was to stay in the background, "quietly assisting" her husband, thus conveniently avoiding possible negative outcomes. She seems to downplay and devalue her important role as a representative of women in Korea, and to avoid her innumerable responsibilities, including that of enhancing the status of women. If she yields to the criticism directed at her during the presidential campaign and does not dare to be outspoken, who then will be in the forefront of the campaign for women's rights?
Lee Eung-tae (eungtae@gmail.com) is a former high school teacher who taught English for 35 years.
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