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www.groovekorea.com / May 2014 42 Edited by Elaine Ramirez (elaine@groovekorea.com) INSIGHT The working woman Is Korea ready for women in the workplace? Story by Anita McKay Illustrations by Derrick Dent and Aaron Philby Additional reporting by Hyejin Park and Jongmin Lee W hen Rosie Park decided on a corporate career, she knew it would be tough — not because of the competitive nature of the industry, but be- cause she is female. “Companies don’t want women because (they think) they will quit,” she says. At 24, she feels she has been stamped with an expiration date that, despite her hard work, will make it difficult for her to advance at the same rate as her male peers. “People think if girls come into the company at 24 or 26, two or three years later they will get married. Usually when women get married, they quit,” she explains. Korea’s corporate workforce is dominated by men. From entry level to executives, men far outnumber women in the majority of compa- nies. Gender discrimination and a thick glass ceiling are expected to await women who enter the corporate world. When coupled with stories of sexual harassment in the office and long working hours, it all makes for an unfriendly working atmosphere for women. The government has started to take note, with President Park Geun- hye committing to increasing female participation in the workforce. But even with her initiatives, the questions about marriage, confor- mity to gender stereotypes and the inevitability that motherhood will happen and be a career-breaker seem to plague the daily lives of young women who choose this career path. For Rosie Park, a planner at a small auto-parts trading company, a promotion seems out of reach if the current trend of advancement through her company continues. “Many girls have worked here for six years, but they are still at quite a low level. Usually it’s two years and you go up a level,” she says. If attitudes towards women in Korean companies don’t change, Park says she will look abroad for more career opportunities. “I’m not comfortable staying in Korea because of the stereotype for girls,” she says.