Sex Discrimination in Korean Newspapers
ministers can contribute to public distrust of women ministers and seems to affect their
tenure—on average, women ministers do not stay in their positions more than one year.
The objective of the present study was to examine sex discrimination within
Korean newspapers. From correspondence with all female journalists within the
country’s 10 national newspapers and three business papers, results identified the extent
and type of sex discrimination Korean women journalists believe they have experienced.
This study is important because examining sex discrimination in Korean
newspapers is unprecedented. Furthermore, this study strived to show a correlation
between variables in an effort to explain some factors associated with sex
discrimination.
Results may help newspaper owners and managers improve newsroom
environments for women, which might curb personnel costs. Korean newspapers are
experiencing a decline in readership (Korea Press Foundation, 1999). If sexual
discrimination were to diminish, perhaps more women journalists in the newsroom
could influence a change in news content (more balanced news coverage and more
women-related news) that might attract more female readers, also helping the
newspaper financially. And, ideally, better coverage of women might progress the status
of women in Korean society.
Literature Review
The percentage of women journalists in Korea ranks among the lowest in the
world. In 1990, that proportion was 9.5 percent, dropping to 9 percent in 1999 and
climbing to12.7 percent in 2001 (Women journalists: Changing phases and roles, 1999;
Convention