Korean Job Discussion Forums

[wylies99]

12-31-2008 18:49
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2009/01/117_37082.html

Half of Female Workers Harassed at Drinking Parties

By Kim Rahn
Staff Reporter

A 28-year-old female worker at a public company, who identified herself only by the surname Lee, got angry during a recent drinking bout after a male senior worker hugged her and forcibly danced with her.

``I managed to escape from his grip. I was angry but did not expressed my anger to him, because he was so drunk and I though he would not remember it at all the next day anyway,�� Lee said.

Lee was not the only one having such an unpleasant experience ― according to a survey by a recruitment company Saramin of 729 female employees, 52.3 percent, or 381, said they have experienced sexual harassment at drinking sessions. Some 39 percent said they have been harassed not only at drinking parties but also during work.

When multiple replies were allowed, the surveyed women said they suffered from physical contact such as hugging (74 percent), dirty jokes (41.7 percent), jokes about their body shape or appearance (30.7 percent), pressure to serve drinks to men, and questions about their sexual experience. Twenty-one respondents even said male senior staff or co-workers asked them to have sex with them.

About half of the harassment was from immediate superiors, followed by top managers and co-workers.

Like Lee, however, most of the female victims did not actively react ― some 51 percent said they just let it go, while 22.8 percent clearly said ``no�� to the harassers. They said their inactivity in dealing with the cases was due to the fact that their reaction was unlikely to change the situation (33.8 percent), they could escape from the situation (18.5 percent), and they were afraid of possible repercussions from senior staff.

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[aboxofchocolates]

An older teacher was retiring and he made it his duty to get plastered and hit on all the twenty something teachers there. Even me (I laughingly and a bit roughly brushed him off; I have a blackbelt in perv deflection). I mentioned it to the women the next day (there experiences, not mine) and I may has well have tried to introduce a discussion of my morning bowel movement. Disgust and quick changes of subject were all I got. I also heard that on a school outing that I did not go to the younger women were ordered by older female teachers to serve drinks and hand feed the principal and vice principal. Ew ew ew ew EW. The younger teachers all hate school outings and try desperately to get out of them. I am thinking of opening an Escape From Grossness shelter in Canada for young Korean women.

[Tiger Beer]

Only half? Must just be the attractive half...because I've seen it a million times in Korea and assumed it happened to every Korean female.

[wylies99]

It's more than just sexual harassment, too. They often belittle the junior employees of either sex.

[T-J]

It really has nothing to do with Korean men.

It's a man thing. The only thing that keeps men in Western countries in check is the severity of the repercussions they may face.

No repercussions here equals more harassment.

[cruisemonkey]

I'm just a lesbian trapped in a man's body and can assure you it's not a 'man' thing.

[CPT]

Some of it really doesn't sound that bad.

74% of women got hugged! Oh noes!

41.7% of women heard a dirty joke at a party where alcohol is being served! Better write an article about that!

The jokes about their physical appearance are uncalled for, but not unexpected, and any kind of clearly unwanted physical contact is bad, but come on now.

[Ukon]

[T-J]

[T-J]

Kudos to the paper for running the article. It is overdue, as are the repercussions that will deter this kind of behavior.

[Donald Frost]

[Donald Frost]

[bassexpander]

Interesting. My wife was just complaining about this happening at her recent company party. She mentioned that the marketing staff and the (all male) sales staff don't mix -- partly because of the overly friendly males and ego-trippers who bother the females. The current president is upset about this -- not about what the males are doing -- he's upset that the marketing staff doesn't want to go to lunch and dinner with the sales staff.

Nice.

The Korean president of her last company was crazy about giving everyone hugs, and constantly told the employees how attractive he was for his age -- asking them if they agreed.

[Gimpokid]

Here I thought I was a white dude and it turns out I'm a Korean woman.

All of these things have happened to me at school outings. Hugged? asked to serve someone a drink? Dirty jokes? Dancing with co workers? Sounds like a good time to me.

[aka Dave]

I've seen this issue from two perspectives.

Teaching in a Hagwon:

They asked me to go to celebrate the head bosses birthday at a noreh bang. I told them I didn't want to go, because I had to work out in the morning, and they'd be up all night drinking.

They freaked out, as no foreign teacher had done this. But they accepted it .

Teaching in a Univ:

This isn't my own experience, but I have heard from students that female workers don't get to participate in the signing of contracts, b/c they have a drink and leave, whereas the Korean/Chinese drunks pound soju all night and the final contract is signed late night.

So female workers, who set up the deal, get ripped off. I know some very bright girls who recounted this to me, and I believe them.