Among those who indicated they had quiet quit, <!-- -->41 per cent said they did<!-- --> <!-- -->so to improve work-life balance, while 38 per cent said it was because of low compensation and rising cost of living. About<!-- --> <!-- -->33 per cent cited a lack of career growth opportunities.

atriarchy and a sexist work environment are deeply ingrained in South Korean society, often seen as more pervasive than in other countries. This culture affects every aspect of South Korean women’s lives, from gender norms and workplace discrimination to rigid beauty standards, unequal childcare and household responsibilities, and high rates of domestic violence and sexual assault. South Korea ranks at the bottom for gender pay gaps among OECD countries, with a 31% wage difference between men and women, despite being a high-income and developed country (Ji-hye, 2024).

The failure is rooted in the government’s inability to address the core issues underlying the demographic crisis. Male groups, major media outlets, and the government have created narratives that blame women for the low fertility rate and dismiss feminists’ claims of injustice, viewing them as mere attempts to bolster radical stances like the 4B Movement (Sussman, 2023). However, the real problem lies in societal expectations and male attitudes. Women are fed up with being told their primary role in life is to marry and become dedicated mothers, sacrificing their dreams and submitting to their husbands, while the government tells them they must reproduce to save the country.

That growth in capacity, though, will generally need to be matched by a concomitant increase in application, lest we find ourselves with a volume of potential that goes underutilized or completely unrecognized.