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Edited by Elaine Ramirez (elaine@groovekorea.com) INSIGHT mAKinG tHinGs HAppEn Seoul International Women’s Association helps women lead in business Interview by Jaime Stief / Photo by Dukhwa B etween pay gaps (men earn 39 percent more than women, the widest disparity in the world) and low employment rates (50 percent of Korean women work), improving women’s career op- tions in Korea is no easy mission. But a handful of groups are aiming to turn the tables by creating prac- tical tools to help working women succeed. One such group is the Seoul International Women’s Association, which has been helping women make cross-cultural connections for the past 50 years, in part through tours and fundraising projects, but also through professional networking events. Their Coffee Mornings and Working Women’s Network have been met with resounding interest from both Korean and foreign women in the community. Terri Hartman, the president of SIWA, sat down with Groove Korea to discuss how workplac- es and women are adapting for one another. Groove Korea: How has siWA’s professional support for women changed over the years? Terri Hartman: SIWA itself has changed in the way it helps women in their professional adjustment to Korea. Through the increase in connectivity in recent years, many of our members are becoming more entrepreneurial and starting new business ventures over the Web. Some even arrange to telecommute with their employer from their home country while they are here. Through our Working Women’s Network, members meet monthly to network and to talk about issues important to them. Since our members are both foreign and Korean, the WWN provides a unique opportunity to share information and to help our members become aware of different opportunities in the Korean workplace.
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