Korea’s gender pay gap is the world’s worst. Will transparency fix it?

Korea holds many firsts. But not all are worth celebrating. Since joining the OECD in 1996, the country has consistently ranked first among member nations for its gender pay gap. According to the most recent OECD data from 2023, Korea's gap stood at 29.3 percent— the widest in the organization. It means for every 1 million won ($725.32) earned by a man, a woman earns only 707,000 won. Although the disparity is shrinking, it still far exceeds the OECD average of 11.3 percent. This is not some obscure or irrelevant fact. A survey conducted by the labor rights group Workplace Gapjil 119 on March 8 — International Women's Day — found that Koreans already consider the gender pay gap the most serious gender-related issue in the workplace. "I was shocked to learn that a colleague with a lower title and less experience was earning almost the same salary," one respondent said. Another said, "I've heard people say that women shouldn't be promoted." Despite public awareness, the root causes of the gap remain difficult to trace. There is no clear statistical framework or government data to accurWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Korea Times Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Korea Times