Rep. Yoo Jee-young, a leader of the National Assembly Gender Equality and Family Committee, has proposed a revision bill to boost former career women’s economic activities.  

The government has offered support to help former career women find jobs again as Korea is grappling with a decline of economically active population amidst super-low birth rate and aging. The government has enacted the Act on the Facilitation of Former Career Women’s Economic Activities. But figures made available by the Statistics Korea showed that despite a decline in married women, former career women who want to find jobs anew, except women for household care, are on the rise. The number of such ex-career women increased from 1,955 in April 2013 to 1,977 in April 2014. 

Rep. Yoo of the Saenuri Party said, “A law should have been enacted to prevent career women from being forced to quit jobs before providing support for them to find jobs again to solve the former career women’s issue.” Rep. Yoo spearheaded proposing a measure to change the name of the Act on the Facilitation of Former Career Women’s Economic Activities to the Act on the Prevention of Career Women’s Quitting Jobs and the Facilitation of Former Career Women’s Economic Activities. She also proposed a revision bill calling for formulating legal basis for the prevention of career women’s quitting jobs. 

According to the revision bill, state and businesses would be responsible for the prevention of career women’s quitting jobs. 

The revision measure calls for strengthening policy support to former career women in their 30s or those with higher educational background, who are higher proportionally.  

Rep. Yoo, also a member of the National Assembly Science, ICT, Future Planning, Broadcasting and Communications Committee, said the prevention of career women’s quitting jobs is in the interests of both women and country. Speaking about the rationale of the legislation, Rep. Yoo said a rise in former career women wanting to find jobs again is feared to lower the nation’s economic income potential and incur social costs, and now is the time for the nation to make prevention of career women’s quitting jobs obligatory, make quick decisions and take resolute actions. 

Expansion of women’s employment has emerged as a pending issue. Promoting gender equality and enhancing women’s capability is one of the United Nations’ eight Millennium Development Goals. The United Nationals Development Program and the UN Women have called for expanding of women’s employment. 

A U.S. presidential economic report showed that if more women get jobs as much as men, the United States will likely see gross domestic product (GDP) rise 9 percent.