Women's Rights - Canadian and Korean Perspectives

Thursday was International Women's Day, an occasion to reflect on the status of women all over the world.

On the occasion, the Canadian media publicized Canada's achievements in women's rights, which are indeed noteworthy.  Women have achieved a lot in Canada, but sadly, have not yet achieved equality with men.  Canadian women are far more likely than Canadian men to be victims of violence, and they are underrepresented in management and decision-making positions.  In recent years, there have even been allegations of mistreatment of women officers by male members of Canada's national police force.

In Korea, women are also excluded from decision-making positions in the business world.  Furthermore, an elected government official has recently been criticized for being sexist, as has a prosecutor.  And some women are reportedly mistreated by their employers when they request maternity benefits.  But on a more positive note, sexual harassment has recently been recognized as a workplace injury by a worker's compensation organization.  And in the coming Korean election, the leaders of the two most popular political parties are both women.


Most men, if asked directly, would probably say that they want their mothers, wives, sisters and daughters to have the same opportunities that they themselves have.  Isn't it time that we make full equality between men and women a reality?