Social Policy Reforms and Gender in Japan and South Korea

Feminists are sharply divided into two camps on the issue of family and gender policies in Japan and South Korea (henceforth Korea). On the one hand are those who claim that despite the remarkable developments in the social, economic and political spheres, very little has changed in terms of women’s status (Moon 2002). Proponents of this `no real change’ perspective point to these countries’ poor records in the Human Development Report (HDR) indices on gender equality (Gender Development Index or GDI, and Gender Empowerment Measure or GEM) as evidence of the persistence of gender inequality. Indeed, both Japan and Korea are amongst the lowest in the international rankings, and Japan has fallen even further behind in recent years despite the government’s claimed efforts to advance gender equality.’ Based on these figures, there is good reason for scepticism about these developmentalist economies’ abilities to ensure gender equality. As feminist studies have shown, economic growth in many East Asian countries has occurred simultaneously with gender inequality in both public and private spheres (Seguino 1997; Hsuing 1996).