Mapping Out New Policy Directions for Young Women in Korea Women's Worlds 2005 : 9th International Interdisciplinary Congress on Women Won, Mi-Hye Seoul.

Mapping Out New Policy Directions for Young Women in

Korea

Women's Worlds 2005: 9th International Interdisciplinary Congress on Women

Won, Mi-Hye Seoul Resource Center for Young Women

-The policies for young women are based on gender/age sensitivity in order to reflect gendered ageism

-The policies for young women are not limited to teenage women only but widely directed to every issue that concerns gender/ageism, adopting integrated approaches of WID (Women in Development) and GAD(Gender And Development)

1. What are 'policies for young women'?Seoul R

esource Center for Y

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•Target : Differs from the policies of different countries

-The definition of youth in general : 15 to 24 years old (35 at the most)

-In case of Korea : The Youth Law: 9 - 24 The Civil Law: Under 20 The Youth Protection Law: Under 19 The Labor Standard Act: Under 18 --> Policies for young women mainly are for the women of the age from 13 to 18 who are not eligible to attain the rights to work and vote ("Teenage Women" )

What are ‘policies for young women’?

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2. The Background : The Establishment of Policies for Young Women and the Youth

International spotlight on the importance of the youth and young women's rights: Policies for the youth operate in the context of modern history which identified the group of pre-adults as youth. This notion has become reinforced in 21st century.

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-Primary attention has been given to human resources development in the age of low birth rate and ageing society

-The stress has been put on the role of the youth in high-tech information society

-Marginalized women and the youth as sexual minority have been brought into the center

==> Importance of the rights and social participation of the youth has been highlighted

Realization of the idea that all women and the youth are significant human resources of the future

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-"Convention on the Rights of the Child"

-International efforts to eradicate 'Commercial sexual exploitation of children' (the Stockholm Declaration and Agenda for Action of the 1st World Congress Against Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children in 1996, and the Yokohama Global Commitment 2001 of the 2nd Conference)

-"The government, NGO, the organizations for development, local, international, and governmental organizations should improve and ensure the rights of young women, the youth and child" (2004, Beijing + 10)

International standards

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The discourse and the policies that deal with the importance of young women are closely related to the changes in the view of the society on young women

1/ Pre-sexualization1/ The changes and crisis in traditional family structure1/ The urgent call to regard sex industry, violence in school and sexual violence as problematic1/ The importance of the Youth?s rights and social responsibility 1/ The importance of the idea that all women and the youth are significant human resources

Focus on the Importance of the Policies for Young Women in Korea

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1) The absence of concern for teenage women in general <Table-1> Percentage of young women dealt in news paper articles about women and the youth*

3. Recent Discourse on Teenage Women in Korea

  Women The Youth Young Women

Total 127,661 36,088 669

Percentage 0.5% 1.9%  

* The source of the articles: 72 published materials including daily news papers, local news papers, and journals

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2) Issues on Teenage Women : Perspectives Concentrated Only on Present Events

<Table-2> Percentage of the subjects dealt in news paper articles about young women

  Total Sextrad ViolenceRunaways

/Familyissues

School/Education Sports

Culturalissues

Smokingproblem

Total

Printed 669 208 175 160 141 39 29 9 1,392*

% - 31% 26% 23% 21% 5.8% 4.3% 0.01%  

* The number of total articles printed in 2004 / The checked articles overlap in this research

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3) The Dual Messages on Teenage Women's Sexuality : They are seen as asexual and seductive at the same time

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The policies for young women have become significant initiatives since the late 90s when the intense attention was given to the teenage women’s sex trade, and have been implemented as a part ofthe protection for the youth.

The policies for young women coincide with the protection laws for women such as Anti-Prostitution Law enacted from 1961

==> Policies for the youth and women are concentrated in protecting the sexuality of teenagers from a patronizing perspective

4. The limitations of the Existing Policies for Young Women

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1/ Protecting and regulating sexuality : protectionist perspective1/ Causal determinism on family crisis1/ Negative policies : fail to reflect on the needs of teenagers1/ The absence of integrated approach : the lack of gender perspective in policies for the youth as well as the lack of the youth perspective in policies for women

The limitations of the Existing Policies for Young Women

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: The need to recognize the idea that young women have different needs and experience from young men leads us to develop the policies from a gender perspective

1) Integrated approach on the youth and women’s policies Analysis and the alternatives on the interlocking oppression that derives from gendered ageism : elimination of gendered ageism or gender discrimination according to the age difference (separate statistics that reflect on and represent teenage women’s condition are required)

5. The New Policies for Young Women

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2) Elimination of hierarchical ageism

-Alternatives for the existing tradition that has determined our order, behaviors and decision-making are in need

-Approaches based on human rights including sexual self- determination, labor rights, and the rights to participate

-The need to attain an understanding of the youth as a complex, plural agent

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3) Sensitivity to various discriminations and differences

-Sensitivity to the interlocking discrimination and oppression based on various properties such as gender, looks, sexual identity, ethnicity, and race

-Understandings of the differences between the difference age groups of different socio-cultural context 4) Primary support for alienated, neglected and vulnerable groups 5) The importance of building the sensitivity to gender equality in youth

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1/ Building the safety net1/ Eliminating all forms of discriminations against young women1/ Empowerment of young women1/ Encouragement of the youth in participating in and sharing the information of every process of decision-making

6. The major agendas directed to developing the policies for young women

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1) Building the safety net

-Rethinking and rebuilding a youth perspective on women’s policies and a gendered perspective on the policies for youth-Enacting various institutional apparatuses to build the safety net to prevent domestic violence, sexual violence, and sex trade-Gender equality training programs directed to the personnel of related organizations and the youth-Establishing the resource network in regional level

The detailed agendas of the policies for young women: approaches and the contents

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2) Eliminating all forms of discriminations against young women

-The rights to eliminate all forms of gender bias and prejudice

-The rights to ensure her sexual self-determination rights and to benefit from health care services (NAPY)

-The rights to be treated equally regardless of gender and sexual identity

-The rights to maintain various forms of family and relationships

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3) Empowerment of young women : reflecting on the needs and condition of young women

-Gender equality and leadership programs : including media monitoring programs

-Health-care services : Consciousness raising programs for body images, diet, and drug abuse

-Empowerment programs : promoting and providing economical literacy, job opportunities, mentoring, and economical independence for starting her own business

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-Cultural capital to enhance and expand the access of young women to the activities such as sports and travel

-Safe place : expanding time and places that are safer and more friendly to women

-Sexuality : sexuality education, pregnancy, and delivery

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4) Encouragement of the youth in participating in and sharing the information of every process of decision-making : Let Her Speak Up!

-Participation of young women in a decision making process : establishment of committees and policy monitoring programs

-Support and empowerment of young women’s own activities and organizations

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