Making Seoul Women-Friendly

Jennifer Cocks

October 22, 2010

3:06 pm

South Korea, along with many other nations, has been known for its patriarchal society. In recent attempts to lessen the disparities between genders, the Mayor of Seoul, Oh Se-hoon, has sponsored a plan called the Women Friendly Seoul Project. The project is designed to improve “both the quality of daily life and long-term political opportunities for the capital’s female residents.” One of the more specific initiatives is called the “mom is excited” project that is designed to assist women who have taken time off to have children and are re-entering the workforce. It helps retrain and update women’s skills and competencies to smooth the transition back into the workplace. Increasing women’s political representation is also a long-term goal of the project, as the majority of government officials are men. Small changes like revising policies and procedures that impact women (such as designs for apartment complexes and ladies restrooms) are another goal of the project.

I think this is a really progressive plan for Seoul, as it recognizes the micro and macro impact of the disparities between genders. On the micro level, it addresses more minor, seemingly inconsequential details such as building women’s restrooms in the subway with better/more lighting for security and safety. The macro level of the plan addresses political representation and steps towards equalizing employment opportunities. Including an initiative to increase the number of female representatives in government will help Seoul get past its “legacy of patriarchy” which was discussed in chapter 3 of our textbook. Perhaps with additional representation, additional reforms can be completed to reduce the gender gap that is inherent in patriarchal societies. As the success of the Women Friendly Seoul Projects become more apparent, it is likely that additional programs will be implemented in other cities, or even on a more broad, national scale.

http://www.newsweek.com/2010/10/17/mayor-oh-se-hoon-on-making-seoul-women-friendly.html