In South Korea, female workers are not seen as independent individual who are working as a result of their own passion for a specific field or working in order to earn a living.  South Korean female workers are seen as a secondary source of income to a household, because the concept that South Korean women can live independently of a men is not really accepted yet.  As a result of this societal perception, female workers in South Korea are often discriminated against in the workplace with lower wages (when compared to a man who was offered the same job) and part-time job offers.  Female workers in South Korea are more likely to receive only part-time jobs because a vast majority of companies believe that female workers will not be able to adequately balance their time between work and home.  These discriminatory acts have severe consequences for female workers in South Korea, since lower salaries will eventually led to lower social security benefits, and part-time work often means no healthcare nor other social benefits that are offered to regular, full-time workers in South Korea. 

As President Obama re-considers the US-Korea Free Trade Agreement (KORUS FTA), he should bear in mind that as the South Korean economy has opened up to foreign investments, 50% of its labor force is now temporary workers, and a staggering 67% of the temporary workers are women.  Since the passage of the US-Korea FTA is likely to lead to an increase in the use of temporary workers by multinational companies, President Obama should really think about whether the passage of the KORUS FTA will inadvertently cause the US to contribute to the existing discrimination that subsists in the South Korean labor force.  On Women’s Equality Day, this should be a question that is studied with seriousness, and the US should use its own history to judge whether discriminating against half of a population is a good idea.