National Human Rights Commission of Korea Annual Report 2019
a male based on the old patriarchal family registry system and the lingering notion that a family
lineage is patriarchal is a discrimination based on gender stereotypes, and thus a violation of the
Constitution.
The Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs accepted the Commission’s recommendation, and
revised the related guidelines so that the jangson concept is interpreted as “the first child of the first
child,” regardless of gender.
On July 24, the Commission recommended the petitionee company to remove a long-standing
to male recruits, and had them do simple, repetitive work. It assigned jobs and positions to male
employees only, discriminating against women in terms of promotion and wage level.
An investigation by the Commission showed that men and women workers of the company
don’t have fundamentally different work ability, and that there is no significant difference in
responsibilities and degree of efforts. Opportunities to gain experience were assigned to male
employees only, and female employees were completely excluded from related education and
training programs.
The Commission did not see that the jobs of male employees were comparatively more
specialized to justify a considerable difference in promotion between men and women, nor that
they require a specialized skill or effort that cannot be expected of female employees. It concluded
that female employees were discriminated against without a justifiable reason based on gender
stereotypes that women “are fit to do repetitive, simple jobs that do not require any skill levels” or
“they “cannot assume the responsibility of managing hazardous and heavy components.”
B. Sexual Harassment
Supervisor urging a subordinate employee to quit because she refused to go out
with him
On October 29, the Commission recommended the petitionee, a supervisor, to take special
human rights education sessions and pay a compensation of 3 million won to the petitioner, who
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Key Activities
gender discrimination practice. The company hired women to lower positions than those assigned
Part 2
Promotion discrimination based on gender