Women's salaries impacted by pandemic

South Korean women took home 32.5% less income than men last year -- the widest pay gap among 37 member countries in the OECD countries, where the average gap is 13%. Photo: Filepic

South Korea has been behind other developed countries in promoting equal pay between women and men, and the little progress it has made in recent years faces a setback as the Covid-19 crisis hits female workers.

South Korean women took home 32.5% less income than men last year -- the widest pay gap among 37 member countries in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), where the average gap is 13%. The disparity may get worse this year. Women account for two thirds of the country’s job losses since March as the pandemic hits service-sector and non-regular jobs, where women vastly outnumber men.