Women in Management in South Korea: Advancement or Retrenchment?

Abstract

Women's role in management is an important issue. This is based not just on moral, but also on economic grounds. In many countries female participation rates in labour markets have increased, but a similar expansion into managerial posts has commonly lagged behind this, often an indication of the resilience of the so-called ‘glass ceiling’. We use South Korea as an example to explore this. We review the literature in the area and provide theoretical explanations and a lens through which to view developments which indicate that social and cultural, rather than economic, reasons often underpin the situation. We go on to outline some possible ways to confront female managerial discrimination and to increase women's roles in management.

Keywords:

• Managerial advancement
• human capital
• glass ceiling
• social discrimination
• statistical discrimination
• gender job segregation
• employment practices
• work/family conflict

Notes

 1 Based on a survey of female college students.

 2 According to a study of 105 major corporations.

 3 Among 710 executives in 140 firms.

 4 Based on a survey of university degree employed women.

 5 Based on 206 (105 male, 101 female) managers.

 6 Based on a survey of managers in large firms.

 7 Based on 986 male and female employees of various companies.

 8 Based on a survey of male middle level managers in a major corporation.

 9 Based on the financial sector.

10 Based on a major corporation.

11 Based on middle management women.

12 For non-managerial women it was 1,007,633 Won, 72.4 per cent of the male level.

13 Based on the top 100 conglomerates.