Government legislations

There are several government legislations initiated to tackle the problem of gender discrimination in employment. In China, there are the Labour Law, the Law on the Protection of Women’s Rights and Interests, the Employment Promotion Law and the Provisions on Employment Services and Employment Management which prohibit discrimination based on gender. On 21 February 2019, the Chinese Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, the Ministry of Education and other ministries issued a new joint notice updating laws of gender equality in the workplace. The notice mentions that ‘Gender equality is at the core of our country’s national policy’. The paper also outlines that companies which violate the value of gender equality could be fined up to 50,000 RMB. There should also be equal recruitment processes and promotion prospects for both gender and that inquiries regarding female workers’ marital or childbearing status are prohibited. Skill improvement training, childcare services and maternity insurance are provided to aid new mothers to return to work (ICTI Ethical Toy Program). 

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Gender equality in employment was incorporated into the South Korean President Moon Jae-in’s policy agenda in 2017. He announced ‘no irregular workers in the public sector’ which pushed forward the conversion of irregular workers into regular workers with their working conditions significantly improved.

 

According to the Korea Labour and Society Institute, 174,868 irregular workers were converted into permanent employees at 853 public institutions as of 31 December 2018. Furthermore, in 2019, the Labour Standards Act was amended to address the problem of workplace harassment, making South Korea one of the first countries to legislate this issue. These practices reflect the rising awareness of gender equality in the workplace in East Asian countries (Lee). 

 

Organizations

Other than legal protection granted by the government, support is provided by different organizations in the region contributing to the improvement of women working conditions. The All-China Women’s Federation (ACWF) is China’s largest organization that represents women from all walks of life in China and safeguard women’s rights. It focuses on providing support for women from disadvantaged social backgrounds and alleviating poverty. In the past few years, more than 10 million women participated in poverty-alleviation training sessions and 4 million poverty-stricken women have been lifted out of poverty (All-China Women's Federation). To boost women’s participation in entrepreneurship and improve their competence in the business environment, it launched the ‘Women’s Actions for Entrepreneurship and Innovation” campaign in 2015. Training was conducted for over 5.5 million women and it has helped them to start their own business or to be employed. ACWF has awarded 5,966 Advanced Teams and granted the title of ‘Women Pacesetters for Achievements’ to 2,998 women nationally. These efforts help women develop professionally and equip them with excellent vocational skills to compete in the job market (All-China Women's Federation). 

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The Korea Women’s Associations United (KWAU) was an NGO which was granted a Special Consultative Status from the United Nations in 2001 for having played a crucial role in framing South Korea’s policies on women. It has successfully convinced the government to revise and enact the Equal Employment Act in 2001 which advocates for equal pay for equal work and protection of maternity leave for 90 days. The abolishment of discrimination against non-regular women workers is also helped by KWAU’s advocacy (Korea Women's Association United). 

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Alongside KWAU, the Korean Women Workers Association (KWWA) dedicates to promote the rights for working women in South Korea. As the first national women workers association, it played a vital role in the passage of the Equal Employment Act in 1987 and the Infant Care Act in 1990. In 2018, it provided huge support to the #MeToo Movement in South Korea by assisting in arranging the ‘2,018 Minutes of #MeToo Filibuster’ campaign which allowed women to voice their opinions and tell their stories regarding gender inequality in the workplace (Korean Women Workers Association). This movement was extremely popular which gathered a huge social force to fight against workplace harassment and abuse. There has been a rising awareness of women’s rights in the country with the efforts of these organizations.