Now the point that the systematic device of introducing political gender quota is needed for women’s participation in politics is agreed in the whole world, and experience of developed countries support this assertion. However, authoritarian and man...
Now the point that the systematic device of introducing political gender quota is needed for women’s participation in politics is agreed in the whole world, and experience of developed countries support this assertion. However, authoritarian and man domination political culture in Korea is a factor of delaying women’s participation in politics, and to increase women’s participation rate fallen behind, each political party should develop the gender quotas.
As the 2010 revised Korean Public Official Election Act article 47 (5), when any political party intends to recommend its members as candidates to run in the election for local council members of a local constituency after their terms of office expire, such political party shall recommend not less than one woman as a candidate to run in an election, from among the election for City/Do council members in a local constituency or the election for autonomous Gu/Si/Gun council members in a local constituency for each local constituency of National Assembly members(excluding Gun regions, and when some parts of autonomous Gus combine with other autonomous Gus or Gun regions, becoming a local constituency of National Assembly Members, the relevant parts of such autonomous Gus are excluded).
Both the political party nomination and proportional representation system was implemented in 2010 local elections under the revised Public Official Election Act. As a result, 747 women became member of local councils, that is, as women’s participation rate in local council jumped from 3.2%(2002) to 18.7%(2010). But the number of the proportional representation seats is extremely low so that the 50% quotas for women in proportional representation has a few effect. Ratio between elected member seats and proportional representation seats should be modified as 2 to 1 and proportional representation seats should be increased.
Ten years have passed since the introduction of the Gender Quota System in Korean Politics. This thesis investigates not only the quantitative and qualitative impacts of the Gender Quota System but also its future agendas. Furthermore, the full integration of women into Korea Politics is but a facade.