PAPER:Gender Analysis of COVID-19 Outbreak in South Korea: A Common Challenge and Call for Action

 Gender Analysis of COVID-19 Outbreak in South Korea: A Common Challenge and Call for Action

Saerom Kim, MD, PhD1 , Jin-Hwan Kim, MD, MSc2, Yukyung Park, MD, PhD1, Sun Kim, PhD1, and Chang-yup Kim, MD, PhD1,2

Abstract This study aims to analyze South Korea’s experience during the COVID-19 outbreak through a gendered lens. We briefly introduce the COVID-19 outbreak in Korea, scrutinize gendered vulnerability in contracting the virus, and then analyze the gendered aspects of the pandemic response in two phases: quarantine policy and mitigation policy. The authors elicit four lessons from the analysis. First, gender needs to be mainstreamed at all stages of a public health emergency response. Second, in addition to medical care, all formal and informal care work should be considered as an essential component of health care systems. Third, a people-centred approach in health governance should be prioritized to make women’s voices heard at every level. Fourth, medical technology and resources to cope with pandemic should be produced and distributed in an equitable manner, acknowledging differential vulnerability and susceptibility. Keywords COVID-19, gender mainstreaming, pandemic, public health emergency, public health policy, public health response

Important quotation:

South Korea’s COVID-19 Outbreak and Broader Context

Second, closing schools and kindergartens are imposing a double burden on women. On average, Korean women spent 259 minutes per week on household and family care work, while their male spouses spent 50 minutes per week (Statistics Korea, 2015). Local governments have launched urgent caregiving services for children and the elderly, but this program requires certain conditions to be met to be eligible, and the quality of care is not assured. Many families are thus forced to deal with the increased burden on their own, and this means much more is borne by women

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Response 1: Quarantine Policy 

“Corona Cannot Defeat Korea”: Declaring “War” on COVID-19

Tracking Cases and Blaming Victims

Publicly Controlled, Need-Based Mass Testing

Response 2: Mitigation Policy and the Gendered Impact of Social Distancing

Conclusion: Gender Matters in a Pandemic The authors want to underscore four main points that result from a gendered analysis of the situation in Korea. First, gender needs to be mainstreamed at all stages of the public health emergency response. Policies must address the specific needs of women, considering embedded gender inequality and their interaction with other social determinants, as well as the biological differences between sexes. Second, care and care giving labor should be integrated into the health care system. Both medical professionals and formal and informal caregivers are essential in sustaining safety and health. The response to the public health crisis should consider both formal and informal care work in the whole process of public health emergency response, preparing all workers for proper training and ensuring their protection. This will be beneficial to the whole society as it can prevent the most vulnerable places from becoming epicenters of the disease. Third, a people-centered approach to health governance must be ensured. Those who bear the burden should have the authority to define the problem. Women who already engaged in care for others’ well-being should have their voices heard in their families, health facilities, and higherlevel decision-making spaces. Finally, medical technology and resources to cope with pandemics should be produced and distributed in equitable manners, considering differential vulnerability and susceptibility across social divisions. This will be crucial to reduce the interconnected risk levied on every woman and man in the world.

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