Women's participation in economy fell in 2008 amid slowdown: report

SEOUL, July 6 (Yonhap) -- The participation of women in South Korea's economic
activities declined for a second consecutive year in 2008, affected by an overall
slowdown and tightened labor market, a report showed Monday.

According to the report by the National Statistical Office (NSO), the country's
"economically-active" female population, or women aged 15 or older, reached 10.14
million last year, accounting for 46.7 percent of the nation's total.
Of them, 50 percent were categorized as participating in economic activities, the
report showed, referring to those who have a job or are in pursuit of one.
The figure, which stood at 50.2 percent in 2007, marks the second consecutive
year of decline since peaking at 50.3 percent in 2006, the highest ever recorded
since related data began to be compiled in 1963, the NSO said.
The decline is mainly attributed to an economic slowdown, prompted by the global
recession and its resulting impact on the nation's labor market, which forced
companies to trim recruitment.
The report showed that South Korean men who participate in the nation's economic
activities accounted for 73.5 percent of the total male population last year,
also down from the previous year's 74 percent.
kokobj@yna.co.kr
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