More Korean Women Turn Towards Entrepreneurialism

Women in South Korea are catching up with men when it comes to founding and establishing their own companies, thereby attempting to bypass restrictions put on them as employees. According to the Global Entrepreneurship Report, the share of Korean female adults engaged in entrepreneurial activity rose from 4 percent in 2013 to 12 percent in 2018, a 200 percent increase.

During the same time, more Korean men also became entrepreneurs. While in 2013, ten percent were founding or in the process of establishing their own company, that number was 17 percent in 2018.

According to the New York Times, more Korean women strive to be entrepreneurs because of the discrimination experienced by women in many workplaces in the conservative country. In South Korea, only 10 percent of managerial positions are filled with women, the lowest in the OECD.