S. Korea ranks top in number of low-paid women workers

South Korea remained the top country where women workers face low wages, a report from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) said Monday.

Data from 2017 showed that 35.3 percent of female workers in South Korea were being paid low wages. Employees who were getting less than two-thirds of the median income of workers in OECD countries were categorized as low-wage earners.

South Korea was placed at the top for the 2017 data that compared eight member nations who had relevant data for the year. The United States, which was rated No. 2, had 29.07 percent.

In the 2016 survey that compared 23 countries, South Korea ranked at the top as well with 37.2 percent. Second-highest Israel had 30.42 percent.

The average for the OECD was 20.01 percent in 2017.

On a consolatory note, the rate of low-paid women workers was declining from previous years. In 2000, the figure hit 45.77 percent. It fell to 38.21 percent in 2011 and has been diminishing every year since 2014, OECD data showed.

Wages for men remained close to the median in 2017. The rate of underpaid men for the year was 14.3 percent, the fifth highest among eight countries. The rate in 2016 was 15.3 percent, No. 9 among 24 measured nations.

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