Diversity among university faculty is crucial to raising the qualiy of a university’s educational offerings, research, and social contributions, and while South Korean universities’ diversity efforts have often focused on faculty’s undergraduate universities of origin, factors such as gender and nationality are increasingly being considered. However, the introduction in the early 2000s of an affirmative action plan for the hiring of female professors at national universities has done little to correct the gender imbalance among faculty at these institutions. 

Universities’ androcentrism influences their overall gender sensitivity and consciousness of gender equality issues. In addition, the low percentage of women among faculty causes problems such as 1) the loss of excellent female academics, 2) most on-campus appointed positions being given to men, 3) the hindering of academic development due to gender bias, 4) a shortage of role models for female students and the reproduction of gender inequality in the next generation of scholars, and 5) low interest among faculty in achieving gender equality at the university. Reasons for the especially low percentage of female faculty at national universities include the particulars of their hiring system, faculty culture, and promotion and tenure system, and the relatively poorer working conditions at private universities (according to a presentation by Professor Hyesook Lee [Gyeongsang National University Dept. of Sociology]).

Therefore, a public hearing on the topic of amending the Public Educational Officials Act to expand the affirmative action program for the hiring of female faculty members at national universities was held on Sept. 8, 2017 in the National Assembly building. The event was cohosted by assembly members from four parties (Na Kyung-won of the Liberty Korea Party, Kim Se-yeon of the Bareun Party, Park Kyung-mi of the Democratic Party, and Oh Se-jeong of the People’s Party), run by the Korean Association of National University Women Professors and the SNU Diversity Council, and supported by the Korean Federation of Women Professors and the National Assembly Future Jobs and Education Forum.

Forum Goals

• Addressing the striking difference between the average percentages of female faculty at national universities (15%) and private universities (25%), and the fact that both figures point to a serious gender imbalance when compared with the proportion of female students (40%)
  
• Increasing the diversity in gender and undergraduate university of origin required of faculty hiring by the Public Educational Officials Act; seeking other amendments oriented toward the realization of practical gender-equal hiring