Causes of Gender Discrimination in Korean Labor Markets

Earlier studies investigating whether women were more adversely affected than men during the Asian financial crisis found that female workers had especially unfavorable experiences in the areas of labor force participation, involuntary disengagement, recruitment, and wages. This paper reviews various theories of gender discrimination to understand the causes of gender discrimination in the South Korean labor market and tests hypotheses drawn from various theories, using survey data on employers. The results of this study are not conclusive, but provide support for the cultural gender stereotyping approach and labor market risks and costs approach. Based on the results of the research, policy recommendations are made.