Policies allowing more women attain higher positions pushed

MANILA, Philippines - Gender equality advocates from the Asia-Pacific region yesterday urged governments to create policies, including a mandatory paternity leave, to allow more women attain higher positions in both public and private institutions.

Filipino-Korean Jasmine Lee, a member of the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea, noted that men do not usually avail of their paternity leave, forcing women to leave their jobs to be home with their children.

“(In some countries) they implement a mandatory paternity leave wherein you have to use 60 percent of that leave made available to you by the company or by the law,” Lee told The STAR on the sidelines of the 23rd World Economic Forum on East Asia.

In South Korea, however, she said men are only allowed five days of paternity leave and only three days are paid.

“I think it is a good thing to force people,” Lee said.

In Norway, four weeks of parental leave are reserved for the father.

Lee also cited other solutions that the governments could implement to increase the number of women acquiring high-level positions.

She said that last February, the South Korean government came up with a database of “talents” that can be hired by private firms.

She said they have a separate database of over 100,000 women who are qualified for high-level positions.

“Whenever corporations look for people, especially women, who will fill these positions, they say they can’t find anyone who fits the position. This is why President Park, the government, came up with a database of talents,” Lee said.

Park Geun-hye is South Korea’s first female president.

“It’s not a success story yet but the government is leading and we hope  the corporate sector will follow,” she said.

She added that members of a political party who are running in the local election in South Korea on June 4 also vowed to push for tax incentives for small and medium enterprises who will hire women who have taken a career break after getting married or giving birth.

Lee said the South Korean government is also seeking the creation of childcare centers in companies and daycare centers in residential areas to allow women to stay in their work.

She said companies who have childcare centers are awarded family friendly certificates by the government.

A recent study of the House of Commons library found that 14 percent of the 340,000 women who take maternity leave each year find their jobs under threat upon their return.