Korean Patterns of Women'S Labor Force Participation during the Period, 1960-1980

Abstract

This article investigates how the patterns of Korean women's labor force participation have changed during the 1960s and the 1970s of rapid economic development and social changes, The discussion focuses on the comparison of three sets of cross-sectional data derived from the 1960, 1970 and 1980 Korean censuses. Although not dramatic, the gross rates of women's labor force participation show an upward trend. A very high and rapidly increasing rate of rural women's labor force patticipation did not result in a big increase in the total rate because of the significant rise in the proportion of the population living in urban areas. However, the employment structure and patterns of women's labor force participation have changed significantly, especially in urban areas.