SEOUL – The country with the developed world’s biggest gender income gap now has its first female president, but Park Geun Hye already has South Koreans wondering whether she’ll improve the status of women in a society still dominated by men.
So far, she has chosen only two women to join her in top slots — two fewer than a male liberal predecessor. Now, she will face mounting expectations over pervasive sexism.
Her December election was an important moment for women the country, who on average earn nearly 40 percent less than men, the largest gap among the 26 member nations of the Organization of Economic Co-operation and Development. South Korean women are often paid less for doing the same work as men and seldom rise to the top of high-profile industries.
During her presidential run, Park criticized “traditionally male-centered politics” for corruption and power struggles, saying that “South Korean society accepting a female president could be the start of a big change.”
Critics, however, are taking note that Park has nominated women for only two of 18 Cabinet posts. One of Park’s predecessors, former liberal President Roh Moo Hyun, named four.
Kyunghyang Shinmun, a liberal daily newspaper, pointed out in a recent editorial that there are no women among the 12 officials tapped as senior presidential advisers.
Park’s nomination of so few women is disappointing, as there was a high public expectation for better gender equality in her Cabinet, said Park Seon Young, a researcher at the government-affiliated Korean Women’s Development Institute in Seoul.
Park either didn’t search hard enough for qualified women for her Cabinet, the researcher said, or such women were filtered out during a screening process.
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