South Korea: Systemic Gender, Age Discrimination at Work

(Seoul, September 9, 2026) – Women in South Korea face systemic gender discrimination at every stage of their working lives, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. These adverse impacts accumulate as women get older, and are compounded by systemic age discrimination, resulting in harm to their physical and mental health. 
 
The 92-page report, “Too Old and a Woman: Systemic Age and Gender Discrimination Against Women at Work in South Korea,” documents that social attitudes toward education, unfair treatment in hiring, disrupted careers due to family responsibilities, limited promotion opportunities, glass ceilings, and sexual harassment create a disadvantage for South Korean women throughout their working lives. As women get older, their work opportunities narrow to a handful of low-paid, insecure jobs, and the gender pay gap increases. By the time they are eligible for pensions, women face a significant gender pension gap.