1

Women Today
ROK Challenges Low Birth Rate
Aging Society

Former President, Chungcheongnam-do
Womensʼ Policy Development InstituteKyungsook Kim
country socially and nationally. Korea is already at aserious stage of ultra-low fertility for the past 9 years.
Therefore, the Korean president and government often
face criticisms, even though they are forming a set ofpolicies to respond to low fertility. However, there is a
short cut to tackle low fertility. It is to realize a genderequal society. It is estimated that the national fertility
rates of OECD member countries will increase, if HDI(Human Development Index) exceeds a certain level. If
GEM (Gender Empowerment Measure) is higher than acertain level, the national fertility rate will grow. As acountry’s gap between HDI and GEM is wider, its fertility
rate is lower. A country with high social economic
development and low gender equality shows an unusually
low national fertility rate. The fact that Korea and Japan
show the world’s lowest birthrates confirms thisrationale.
While adopting measures for increasing Koreans, thegovernment tried to accelerate students’ entry into theworkforce as another way to address the aging society.
Namely, the Korean government attempted to reorganize
the school system so that the school age to enter
elementary school would be one year earlier. However,
the opposition by care facilities and infant care facilities
blocked the plan.
In the low birthrate and aging society, economic
activities and consumer markets are shrinking and theemployment environment is worsening resulting in alower birth rate. The vicious cycle is a national challengeboth Korea and Japan should confront. ChungcheongnamDo Women’s Policy Development Institute (CWPDI) andKitakyushu Forum on Asian Women (KFAW), which
signed a MOU, will make all out efforts to raise theawareness of their respective governments as well as the
public about a gender equal society promoting a highbirth rate in both Korea and Japan.

The growth potential decline, the widening income
gap, increasing debt of countries and households caused
by low birth rates and aging societies are common
challenges to Japan and Korea’s economies. Japan has
started seeing a decline in its working-age population
since 1995. Last year, Japanese population of more than
65 years old accounted for 25% of its entire population.
In 2008, the national fertility rate of Japan stood at 1.32
and its total population has been falling since 2005.
Korea is following suit. Korea’s working-age population
is expected to start plummeting in 2016 towards a twothirds decline by in 2050. Its elderly population is
expected to take up 25% of the entire population. Last
year, Korea’ national fertility rate was 1.15 and its total
population is expected to decline starting 2018.
Recently, Korea, through the Presidential Council of
Future and Vision, has changed its policies to respond to
the low birth rate problem. First, the policy of promoting
childbirth has shifted its major direction from focusing
on low income people-centered support and quantitativeextension of care facilities to developing a set of policies
which consider a variety of needs of the middle class anddouble income families. Second, attention on various
types of family such as single parents and multi-cultural
families attributed to social changes has been bolstered.
Third, countermeasures on a national level have beendeveloped for abortion. Fourth, the policy for keeping in
Korea talented people and for attracting the best andbrightest from overseas has been newly introduced. Bestof all, the policies shaped by the Korean government,‘Project for increasing Koreans’, namely policies toadvance immigration; relieve the single citizenshipsystem and eradicate illegal abortion have gained a great
deal of attention.
There is enormous positive public response to theintroduction of new measures to extend conditions fordual citizenship and to relieve various regulations on
dual nationality. There is a sense that the policy is aimed
at actively bringing competent human resources fromoverseas through the open system toward immigration.
On the other hand, heated discussions about the plan forpreventing illegal abortion have been raised between
those who prefer to respect life and those who support
the reproductive rights of women. On top of it, there has
been a sharper division of opinions between netizens
who approve and disapprove abortion since Korean Prolife Doctors Association criticized abortion and reported
clinics providing abortion surgery to the prosecution.
Demographers warn that more than three years ofultra-low fertility would pose a catastrophic crisis to theNo.59 July 2010

Proﬁle of Dr. Kyungsook Kim
D r. Ky u n g s o o k K i m i s fo r m e r p r e s i d e n t o f
Chungcheongnam-do Womens’ Policy Development Institute,
Republic of Korea and a professor of Political Science at
Kongju National University. Kim is one of Korea’s
distinguished political scientists. She is vice president of boththe Korean Political Science Association and the Korean
Association of International Studies. Currently, she serves asa Practical Affairs Committee member of the Presidential
Commission for Decentralization. And Kim works as an
Advisory Committee Member of the National Assembly;
Ministry of Unification; Ministry of Public Administration and
Safety; Ministry of Education, Science & Technology; Ministryof Gender Equality and the Unification Advisory Council.

1

Current Issues Series
Japan’s New Lay
Judge System and GenderPart 2
Mikiko OTANIFrom Jurors’ Viewpoints

Deputy Director of the Secretariat for the
Gender Equality Promotion Division, Japan
Federation of Bar Associations

participate in trials. However, after serving as saiban-in,
96.7% of the respondents felt that they had good or very
good experiences. By gender, 36.6% of the male respondents
said that before they were selected as saiban-in they had
been eager to participate in trials. By contrast, only 22.1%of the women answered that they wanted to serve assaiban-in. Whereas 50% of the men replied that they were
either very reluctant or slightly reluctant to becomesaiban-in, 63.1% of the women replied in the same way,
indicating that the men were more eager to serve assaiban-in than the women were. After actually serving assaiban-in, however, both men and women replied thatthey had good or very good experiences. In this regard thegap between men and women was nominal, since this
response was given by 97.1% of the men and 96.1% of thewomen.

Citizenʼs participation in criminal court
Many nations in the world have systems that allow lay
citizens to participate in criminal trials as jurors. Among
those systems, the most well known is the jury system,
under which jurors selected from among ordinary citizens
judge whether or not an accused person is guilty. If he or
she is found guilty, penalty is set basically by professional
judges. Some countries have a joint judge-jury system,
under which a jury comprising ordinary citizens works
jointly with professional judges. In this system, in addition
to the judgment of guilty or not guilty, the jury determines
the penalty to be applied, together with the professional
judges. Although Japan’s new jury system (called saibanin or “lay judge” system) is similar to the joint judge-jury
system, the Japanese system differs from its overseas
counterparts in that the Japanese jurors serve only on asingle case, rather than for a fixed term, as in the joint
judge-jury system. Because of this, Japan’s present system
can provide more people with opportunities to participate
in trials. This is more effective in fulfilling the goal of the
new system: to foster the public’s understanding of, andtrust in, the judiciary system. In comparison with thetypical overseas jury system on the other hand, theJapanese jury system imposes a greater burden on
individual jurors. It is indeed a great burden for lay
citizens to judge whether or not an accused person is
guilty; but in addition to this, Japanese saiban-in (jurors)
must decide the penalty to be applied. Even though they
can consult professional judges, many jurors are likely tofeel it difficult to impose a proper penalty. Moreover, manyare concerned about the considerable influence of theirown decision-making on the subsequent lives ofdefendants.

Saiban-in and gender perspective
Concerning trial length, in 134 of the 142 cases thetrials finished within four days. Prospective saiban-in canbe exempted from this duty for various reasons. Of the
9,777 individuals who were exempted from their obligationin 2009, 1,084 were exempted because they were busy
taking care of the aged, sick and/or children; 166 were
either pregnant or had given childbirth within the eightweeks previous to the trial concerned. On the other hand,nearly 20% of the selected saiban-in were taking care of
the aged, sick and/or children. Based on these data, we
can infer that women’s low percentage among saiban-in(more than 10% lower than men) is partially attributable
to the greater responsibility that women bear in caring forthe aged, sick and/or children. To ensure that women canparticipate in trials equally with men, appropriate
measures should be taken, from gender-sensitive
perspectives. With this in mind, I expect that morequestionnaire surveys will be conducted, and that they
will include appropriate questions from gender-sensitive
perspectives. I also hope that the results of such studies
will be reflected in measures to improve the present
saiban-in system.

First year of the lay judge system
Japan’s jury system was inaugurated on May 21, 2009,
when the Act concerning Participation of Lay Judges in
Criminal Trials became effective. Up until the end of
December in the same year, saiban-in trials had been heldon 142 cases. Recently, a report on these saiban-in trials
has been compiled, based on statistical data and aquestionnaire survey concerning saiban-in’s first-handimpressions. According to that report, 838 citizens wereselected as saiban-in during 2009. Of those, 53.5% weremen and 43.0% were women (no response: 3.5%). The
percentage of women was 10.5% less than that of men.
According to the questionnaire survey, 55.7% of the
respondents said that before serving as saiban-in they had
been either very reluctant or slightly reluctant to

Yet another important issue concerns mental support
for saiban-in. Tasks of saiban-in can inflict psychologicalstress on both men and women. In this relation, we must
review whether or not sufficient support is being provided
to saiban-in. Although the Supreme Court has establisheda counseling desk and offers professional counselingservice, we must carefully determine whether the service,including information on the service, is truly accessible.

2

No.59 July 2010

Attended the 54th CSW in New York
Joint Seminar in New York with the Chungcheongnam-do Women’s Policy
Development Institute (CWPDI)“Empowerment of Women : Best Practices and New Challenges in Japanand the Republic of Korea” (Mar. 1, 2010)
The UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) convened for the 54th time at the UN Headquarters in New York, March 1-12,
2010.
The Kitakyushu Forum on Asian Women (KFAW) takes part in the CSW every year as a qualified NGO of the UN.
In addition to participating in this year’s CSW, KFAW jointly staged an international seminar with the Chungcheongnam-do
Woman’s Policy Development Institute (CWPDI) of Korea which KFAW signed an academic exchange agreement last November.
It was a part of the Global NGO Forum for Women that coincided with the regular session of the UNCSW.

in attendance, which resulted in some having to stand.
There were many questions from the floor, which asked forexample, about KFAW and CWPDI, measures to address
the declining birthrate in Korea; percentages of womenin the workforce and the work-life-balance practices.

The joint seminar was entitled “Empowerment of
Women: Best Practices and New Challenges in Japanand the Republic of Korea.” In the seminar’s first half,organizations from both Japan and Korea reported on
the progress made with past efforts to empower womenand mainstream gender. In the second half, the spotlight
was focused on measures to address a declining birthrate,
which is an important issue in both Japan and Korea.
Reports were given on this situation and policies of bothcountries as well as the building of environments thatfacilitate work-life-balance for women. Opinions wereshared with NGO representatives from around the world.

▲Participants presented a diversity of questions andcomments on the gender activities and respective
organizations of KFAW and CWPDI; measuresagainst dwindling birthrates, gender balance in theworkplace and work styles.

This was the first time for KFAW to stage a joint seminaroutside of Japan with an organization with whom they
have an academic exchange agreement. During the
UNCSW session and the seminar, as there were many
representatives from governments, NGOs and otherorganizations from around the world, KFAW expanded its
network by providing information on Kitakyushu andChungcheongnam-do.

▲From right: Research Fellow Dr. Heon Joo SUH,
and President Dr. Kyung Sook KIM, CWPDI

The day of the joint seminar, March 1, coincided with thestart of the regular session of the UNCSW. About 90
persons from NGOs and NPOs from around the world were◆Date & Time March 1 (Mon.), 2010; 14:00 ~ 15:30◆Place 10F. Conference room, Church Center for the United Nations
777 UN Plaza (Corner of 44th St. and 1st Ave.), New York, USA◆Attendance 90◆Program
Event

Description

Report on good ○Report “Innovative Projects of KFAW”
practices which
Ms. Yoshizaki, President, KFAW
contribute to the ○Report “CWPDI and Gender Mainstreaming in South Korea”
empower ment
Dr. Kyung Sook KIM, President, CWPDI
of women
Reports on New ○Report “Policy Response to Low Birth and Aging Society in South
Challenges
Korea”
Dr. Heon Joo SUH, Research Fellow, CWPDI○Report “Policy Response to Low Birth in Japan”
Dr. Masako Ota, Senior Researcher, KFAW
Discussion

Q+A

No.59 July 2010

3

▲Joint Seminar Program handed
out in New York

Expanding Network of World NGOs
Participation in the Global NGO Forum for Women: Beijing +15 (Feb. 27-28, 2010)
The Global NGO Forum for Women was hosted at theSalvation Army Greater New York Headquarters by the
NGO Committee on the Status of Women, New Yorkover a 2-day period immediately prior to the 54th sessionof the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW).
KFAW took part in the forum alongside some 700
persons from NGOs world wide. The forum looked backon the progress made on the status of women over the 15
years since the adoption of the Beijing Declaration andPlatform for Action at the World Conference on Women.
The forum then sent a message from NGOs to the UN
CSW.

▲The NGOs from around the world had strong messages for the
CSW and government representatives.

regional representatives. The Asia-Pacific raised region
issues such as human trafficking, poverty, educationand violence against women.
During the afternoon panel discussion, there werereports and a Q&A session on the world economic crisis;
women’s leadership and millennium development goals
in the interest of gender equality as well as peace andeconomic development.
Exchange with NGOs from around the world via Parallel
Events
Besides the Global NGO Forum for Women, there
were parallel events with more than 200 NGOs and 70
UN-sponsored events during the CSW session.
KFAW took part mainly in seminars organized by
Asian NGOs and deepened exchanges with NGOs fromaround the world. For example, at the seminar on the“Financial Crisis from Gender Perspective” hosted by
the All-China Women’s Federation, Ms. Leigh EllwoodBrown, the president of Soroptimist International
Southwest Pacific introduced activities such as job
training for women in Indonesia, Thailand and Australia.
Also, Ms. Song Wenyan of the All-China Women’sFederation introduced activities concerning theempowerment of women such as micro credit loans for
women and a mentoring program for women college
students who are about to enter the workforce.

▲Scene at the Global NGO Forum for Women

The panel discussion on the first day addressed theroles played in improving women’s rights by the UN
World Conference on Women and featured Ms. Gertrude
Mongella (currently President of the Pan-African
Parliament), who served as the Secretary General forthe 4th World Conference for Women in Beijing in 1995,
and Ms. Patricia Licuanan (currently President of
Miriam College), who chaired the main committee ofthat same conference. It then reported and shared
opinions on patriarchy; violence against women andgirls; women’s health and climate change.
In the latter part of the first day, the participants from
NGOs around the world presented in turn messages for
the CSW . About 44 persons voiced their messages .
From Asia, NGOs from Hong Kong, Taiwan, Provinceof China and Singapore called for such measures
as the eliminationof discrimination
againstwomen
withHIV / AIDS , equal
educational
opportunities, legislation against domestic violence andcareer development support for the young generation.

▲

The panel discussion on the morning of the second
day heard regional reports (Asia-Pacific, EU, Middle
East, North America, Africa and Central and SouthAmerica) from panelists on progress made by NGOs
since 1995. Ms. June Zeitlin, who represented North
America, touched upon the fact that the USA had yet to
ratify the International Convention on the Eliminationof All Forms of Discrimination against Women. She
requested floor participants to ask their governments
how the convention could be ratified.
After that, participants broke up into groups by region
and, after lunch, summarized their opinions, throughSeminars involved bya c t i ve ex c h a n g e samongst NGOs fromaround the world.

4No.59 July 2010

The 54th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW)
KFAW attended the 54th session of the UN Commission
on the Status of Women from March 1-5, 2010 (though
the session continued to March 12th) at the UN
Headquarters in New York. This session marked the15th year since the adoption of the Beijing Declaration
and Platform for Action at the 4th World Conference on
Women held in Beijing, China in 1995, and served toreview the implementation progress of that purport in
the various participating countries.
On the second day of the session, “the 15th Anniversary
Declaration of the 4th World Conference on Women,”which reconfirmed the commitment to the Beijing
Platform for Action, was adopted. Moreover ananniversary declaration as well as seven decisions
including the improvement of women’s status in
economic fields were adopted as well.
Moreover, the session was characterized by six panel
discussions that served to share topic and successful
examples via reports from experts and experienced persons
from the various countries. For the interactive expert panel
on March 4th, reports were presented and questions were
floated back and forth between panelists and governmental
representatives from each country on the lessons learned
from implementing the Beijing Platform for Action;correlations
betweentheactionpurportand Millennium
Development
Goals (MDG); andreasons for thedelay in attaining
MDGs.

Besides the events reported above, a ceremony washeld on March 3rd to commemorate International
Women’s Day.
International Women’s Day Commemorative Ceremony
In his opening address for the ceremony, SecretaryGeneral Ban Ki-moon stressed how gender equality andthe empowerment of women were essential to UN
activities. He also announced the prompt creation andpurport of a UN department specialized in gender. He
also stressed that,after aggressive
promotionsof
women to highUN posts over the
past 3 years, thenumber of the
women
with
higher posts havebeen increased by ▲Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon offers his
40%.
message for the commemoration ofInternational Women’s Day.

【Panel discussion themes addressed at CSW54】(1) Linkages between implementation of the Beijing
Platform for Action and achievement of the Millennium
Development Goals (MDG)(2) Regional perspectives in progress achieved andremaining gaps and challenges in the implementationof the Beijing Platform for Action.
(3) Commemorating 30 years of CEDAW(4) Women’s economic empowerment in the context of the
global economic and financial crises(5) UNiTE to End Violence against Women(6) Evolving status and role of national mechanisms▲CSW scene

CSW parallel events in New YorkDr. Heon Joo Suh, Research Fellow, CWPDI
some days attending CSW parallel events, I came torealize women participants’ enthusiasms for promoting
gender equality and empowerment of women. During
the early days of CSW, almost everyday lots of people,
most of whom are women from across the globe, made along line to register and get their photo IDs from theUnited Nations. They actively observed the CSW
sessions, participated at CSW parallel events anddiscussed the topics raised by the events. These events
covered all aspects of gender-related issues such as
education, domestic violence, poverty and women’s
political participation. Fortunately, I had a chance toattend four out of more than a hundred CSW parallel
events which took place during my stay in New York.
All of them were crowded with women from around theworld. They had their own perspectives and shared
their opinions or suggestions on the topic which was

Paradoxically, since I became a research fellow at
Chungnam Women’s Policy Development Institute(CWPDI) in 2008, I have not had an opportunity tothink seriously about gender issues in general. This isbecause the focus of my research has been upon a subfield of social welfare, in particular, the elderly people’s
welfare in Chungnam Province, South Korea.
My participation at one of 54th Commission on the
Status of Women (CSW) parallel events as a speakercame to me as an unexpected yet special event. In otherwords, it has made me consider the entire unequal
structure of Korean society in terms of gender and all
relations between men and women within it. Specifically,it sparked my interest in gender issues. This experience
was possible through the MOU between CWPDI and
Kitakyushu Forum on Asian Women (KFAW).
As soon as I arrived at U.N. Headquarters and spentNo.59 July 20105

dealt with by the event. Let me give you two examples.
First, CWPDI and KFAW organized a seminar on the
low birth issue both in Japan and South Korea. After
listening to two speakers’ presentations on the low birthissue, the audience asked and shared constructive
questions as well as policy solutions. Second, there wasa seminar on the women’s movement in rural areas of in
Kyrgyzstan. They talked about the difficulties that they
had experienced in fighting for gender equality andwomen’s rights as well as about achievements madethrough their movement in rural areas. After thepresentations, people present at the seminar indicatedthat the women’s status in Kyrgyzstan can be further
enhanced by making transnational women’s solidarity

networks. The discussion of the women’s network
movement inspired me to write a research paper aftercoming back home.
Anyway, it was a long trip from Seoul to New York. It
took about over fifteen hours flight time, but it wasworth doing it. If I have another chance to participate at
the CSW and its parallel events, I definitely will gothere and share my opinions on gender issues.
Finally, I want to thank all the KFAW staffs, inparticular, President Yoshizaki Kuniko who introduced
and invited me to the CSW and its parallel event. And I
would also like to express my gratitude to my boss Dr.
Kyung Sook Kim at CWPDI.

＊＊＊Chungcheongnam-do Womenʼs Policy Development Institute (CWPDI)＊＊＊
The policy and education think tank established by Chungcheong South Provincial Government in July, 1999, isworking towards the building of a “Gender-Equal Welfare Society in Chungcheong South Province.” The Institute’s
activities are creating and developing gender-sensitive policies and education programs; holding workshops andseminars as well as providing programs for effective human resources development for women.
Currently CWPDI has 10 researchers and consists of four teams: Women’s
Policy and HR-D Team; Social Welfare Team; Multiculturalism Studies Team;and Administrative Team. There are four affiliated centers: Gender Impact
Assessment Center; Chungnam Children’s Humanity Education Center;
Chungnam Childcare Information Center and Chungnam Volunteer Center.
(Location at Gonju, Chungcheongnam-do http://www.cwpdi.re.kr/)＊＊＊Proﬁle of Chungcheongnam-do, Korea ＊＊＊◇Location
Located in central Korea. About 3 1/2 hr by car from Incheon
International Airport. (Map)◇Area8,585 ㎢
（Approx. 1.7x the area of Fukuoka prefecture.)◇Population
Approx. 2 million（Jan. 2006）◇History
Chungcheongnam-do thrived as the central area of the Baekje Kingdom during the Three Kingdoms
Period. Gongju was its capital for 63 years from A.D.475. Buyeo was the last capital of the Baekje Kingdom
where a Buddhist culture ﬂourished. The Baengmagang River that ﬂows through it used to be known as the
Hakusukinoe where once Japan, which shared friendly relations with the Baekje Kingdom, went to battle
against the joint armies and navies of the Tang and Silla Kingdoms. The area became known as
Chungcheongnam in 1896 when Korea created its 13 provinces. Later, in 1932, the provincial seat ofgovernment was relocated from Gongju to Daejeon.
◇Sightseeing
The Great Baekje World Festival that will introduce the Baekje culture which ﬂourished about 1600 years
ago is scheduled to open for one month from September 18, 2010. Concurrent with this, the Korean
government is promoting the 2010 Visit Chungcheong Korea tourism campaign.
The Baekje culture, which is deeply related to Japanese history, is said to be the seat of Asuka Period(593-694). This year, a spotlight is on Chungcheong, with Chungcheong Week which is being feted as apart of the 1300th Anniversary Celebrations of the Nara Heijo-kyo Capital in Nara Prefecture.
◇Check this out!
The Mecca of Asian Ginseng
Geumsan in Chungcheongnam is the world̀s largest market for Asian ginseng, producing between 80 〜
90% of all Asian ginseng grown in Korea. It is also famous for the World Ginseng Expo held every year.
Beautifying mineral-rich mud
Located on the western coast of Chungcheongnam, Boryeong is known for its mud packs full of naturalminerals to prevent aging of the skin and make skin ﬂexible.

6No.59 July 2010

KFAW Network of Asian Researchers
The study and research wing of the Kitakyushu Forum on Asian Women (KFAW) staged three seminars as part of
the “Early Spring Seminar Series” in January and February 2010. The series was a good opportunity for participants
to think about recent issues and gender in a fun way. Gifts were given to those who attended all three seminars.

January 19 (Tue.), 2010 18:00 〜 19:30“International Movement and Gender in Southeast Asia”
Keiko Tamura, Professor, University of Kitakyushu
where the movement of peoples is brisk, an urgent appeal
has been made for national and regional systems to protect
migratory workers
and, above all,women migratory
workers who aretheweakestelements of theworkforce.

In 1995, a law was enacted in the Philippines, which has
one of the largest outgoing immigrant worker populations, toprotect women engaged in household work in foreigncountries. However, in Indonesia, which has sent out many
household workers in recent years, there is not a government
level structure of protection. And in Singapore, which takes
in the most household workers, household workers falloutside of employment laws. Consequently there is no end tothe cases of abuse. At the suggestion of NGOs, the Singapore
government is changing its position, which includes tighter
control of employment agencies and a set minimum
requirement for employment contracts. In Southeast Asia

February 1 (Mon.), 2010 18:30 〜 20:00

Talking about Gender with UK and Australian Researchers
International Marriage in Japan Seen from the Perspective of Gender
Beverly Anne Yamamoto, Full-time Instructor, Graduate School of Human Sciences, Osaka University
particularly the case with foreign husbands. Foreign wives
feel stressed in complying with Japanese culture. Yamamoto
talked about the special relationship that forms between
international couples because of their respective situations.

This lecture looked at the “myths” and “realities” ofinternational marriages based on interviews withinternational couples. Study results showed that foreign
spouses often comply with Japanese culture, which was

Work and Lifestyles of Australian Women - Currently and Examples
Laura Dales, Assistant Professor, Discipline Group of Asian Studies, University of Western Australia/Guest
Researcher, Graduate School of Human Sciences, Osaka University
participants drew
Dales into active
exchange of viewson the lifestylecustoms of eachcountry
andcomparisons withJapan.

The lecture defined as a problem the modern day style ofworking for consumption. It also presented stories of three
Australian women with suggestions on better (more effective)
ways to work. Common factors amongst people who
successfully balance work and life were raised. Namely
sufficient sleep; priority on health; finding time for oneself,interests outside of work, and the importance placed onhuman relationships were emphasized. After the presentation,

February 9 (Tue.), 2010 18:30 〜 20:00“What Is Korea Doing about its Dwindling Birthrate?”“governmental measures for dealing with the dwindlingbirth rate in Korea.”
The Korean government views their dwindling birth rate

After an introduction of the Chungcheongnam-do Women’s
Policy Development Institute (CWPDI) by President Kim
Kyung Sook, Research Fellow Heon Joo SUH talked about

No.59 July 20107

as a serious issue and enacted the Basic Act on Low Fertility
and Aged Society in 2005. The government also adopted a
Basic Plan on Low Fertility and Aged Society. So explained
the following 4 points about the basic plan.
(1) Central and regional governments deployment ofadequate personnel and strengthening performance via
training(2) Establishment of a governmental office to address thedwindling birthrate issue(3) Upgraded PR, i.e., awareness campaigns, etc.
(4) Promotion of elderly persons’ participation in governmental

decisions
Many questions onthedwindlingbirthrate, which isalso occurring inJapan, were posed byparticipants. Future
topicsandcountermeasures
were shared.

reminiscent of those observed for Japanese women. In
Japan, the Meiji government conducted policies andprojects to promote female education around the endof 19th century. Since then, the women’s educational
level has steadily increased. It is believed now thatJapan has practically achieved gender equality in
education. As society and economy are developing, theviews towards women’s work and marriage arechanging. Challenges, however, remain. For example,
the number of female students who major in sciences
is low. Views of fixed gender roles are still ingrained atschool. Women do face inequalities in terms of theemployment opportunity, salary and promotion after
joining the workforce.

THE FORUM WINDOW
India Today: Fieldwork in
Kerala, India
We conducted fieldwork in the state of Kerala, southwest
lndia in September 2009. Kerala is said to be special,since it has achieved high levels of development ineducation and health for both men and women. Theselevels are equivalent to those of developed countries,
despite remaining at a low level of economic
development. The average life expectancy at birth for
Kerala is ten years longer than that of India. Its literacy
rates are 94.2% for men and 87.9% for women, which
far exceed the average literacy rate of India (55.3%).

In Kerala, many women mentioned that they were told
to stop working after marriage or giving birth. They alsostressed it was difficult to balance outside work anddomestic work. Furthermore, they said women weredisadvantaged both at home and in the workplace.
These are the stories often spoken about among
Japanese women.

The gender gap in education is one of the major
challenges for many developing countries. However,
the gap is virtually non-existent in Kerala which initiatedthe promotion of female education before the Britishcolonization. At present, almost all females complete
high-school education and excel at entrance
examinations. In addition, female students outnumber
male students in both humanities and science courses
in colleges and universities. Moreover, many single
women are working not only inside the state but also
outside the state and even abroad. Only a decade ago,
however, few unmarried women lived away from theirparent’s homes to work. It is now amazing to see theadvancement of women’s economic participation.

In spite of different living environments, there are issues
that can be shared between women in Kerala andJapan, such as challenges and lessons learnt. It is,therefore, very important for Kitakyushu Forum on
Asian Women to network with women in various
countries, learn from each other and act together, inorder to create a society where everybody — men,
women, the elderly and children — can live happily andcomfortably.

Such changes in the women’s situation in Kerala are
Masako Ota, Senior Researcher, KFAW

(Note) This fieldwork was conductedby a team led by Associate Professor
Noriko Hattori, Hyogo University ofTeacher Education with the Grants-inAid for Scientific Research provided
by the Japan Society for the Promotionof Science.

8

No.59 July 2010

KFAW Holds the 8th JICA Seminar on Gender
Mainstreaming Policies for Government Officers
governments.
The principle content of his action plan was to:(1) Request support budget allocations from the Ministryof Finance for gender issues.
(2) Plan training for public sector officers and particularly
those in charge of budgets.
(3) Hold quarterly review and planning meetings withpublic sector officers.

On consignment from the Japan International
Cooperation Agency (JICA), the Kitakyushu Forum on
Asian Women provides training to officers of central andregional governments of developing nations every yearon gender mainstreaming.
The course was staged for the 8th time this year. Its
purpose is to train government officers to effectively andcomprehensively promote policies for mainstreaming
gender perspectives as the means for bringing equal
participation in society by both genders in developing
countries.
This time, 6 participants from 5 countries took part intraining for about 1 month from January 27- February
26, 2010.
The trainees are expected to create programs andaction plans for mainstreaming gender in their respective
areas of operation and once back home, using theknowledge and skills they acquire in training.
On one day of the last week of training (February 24th),
KFAW and the JICA Kyushu International Center cohosted an event where participants announced country
reports to the general public. Each trainee provided
information on their respective country including genderissues, obstacles to gender mainstreaming and actions
plans for their respective country.
The trainee who caught the attention of the audiencethat day was Joseph Kazima of Malawi. He spoke of

Also, he emphasized the following two outcomes for a
successful action plan:(1) Creation of a Gender Responsive Budget that benefits
both men and women(2) Greater awareness of gender amongst officers incharge of planning and budgeting
Because of the photos and explanations he weaved into
his presentation, the audience reacted favorably withcomments such as “it was easy to imagine” and “it waseasy to understand because he focused on the budget andset targets.”▲Country Report (Feb. 24. 2010)“Scaling up the mainstreaming of gender in the Malawi
National Budget.” He also set a target of gaining budget
allocations for gender issues by improving theperformance of government officers in charge of planningand budgeting for the central and regional▲Gule Wamkulu traditional dancing in Malawi(Source: JICA)▲Joseph Kazima making his presentation

No.59 July 2010

▲Lake Malawi National Park (Source: Wikipedia)

9FOREIGN CORRESPONDENTS’ REPORTS

The Daily Life: ■■■■■ALIKULOVA Narghiza (Uzbekistan)
Painful Aral Sea
Anemia, the region’s greatest health problem, has been
increasing for the last 20 years. In the 1980s only 17-20% ofpregnant women had anemia. The level worsens during
pregnancy-about 70% of pregnant women in Karakalpakstan
have severe anemia by the third trimester. Most of these
women have complications during pregnancy and delivery,
including hemorrhages. Some 87% of newborn babies arealso anemic. Untreated anemia in pregnancy and young
children poses a high risk for weak immune systems and arisk for brain damage.

Karakalpakstan (which contains the Aral Sea) an
autonomous republic in north-west Uzbekistan is the hardest
hit in the region. It is the most painful topic to talk about forevery Uzbek person. The shrinking of the Aral Sea in Central
Asia is considered to be one of the most dramatic examples ofa natural area destroyed by human activities.
For almost 30 years, the use of water for irrigation for thecotton monoculture and the heavy application of insecticides,
pesticides, herbicides and defoliants has brought about not
only ecological, economic and social insecurity to the resident
population but also created a critical situation for humanhealth, especially that of women and children.

High levels of reproductive pathologies (infertility,
miscarriages, complications during pregnancy and in birth)have been observed in this region for more than 20 years. In
a survey of 5,000 couples, 16% experienced infertility. The
rate of birth abnormalities, another serious consequence ofpollution, is also increasing. One in every 20 babies is bornwith abnormalities, a figure approximately 5 times higher
than European countries.

The Aral Sea, formerly one of the largest inland seas in theworld, has become a symbol of what can go wrong whentransboundarywater
ismismanaged.
Dramatic
environmental degradation has occurred, with consequences
for the 3.5 million people living around it, including 1.5
million children. The sea is located in Central Asia and isshared by the Republic of Karakalpakstan in Uzbekistan,
the most affected area, and Kzylorda region in Kazakhstan.

Investigations
have
shown
significantly highlevelsoforganochlorine
pesticides.
Thehigh levels of suchpesticides, detectedin most samples of
Karakalpak
women, pose severe ▲Woman and living environment.
risks
for
both
mothers and their babies. The effects include changes in
reproduction and fetal development; disturbance of endocrine
function; neurobehavioral changes; soft tissue cancers;dermatological damage; immunosuppression and changes inliver function. These findings have led to the conclusion that,
due to the severe pollution of all natural resources in
Karakalpakstan, the entire population has been chronically
exposed to the chemicals for a long time.

Water pollution
is
the
main
environmental
problem in thisarea. According to
the local scientists,
waterquality
started to change
in the 1970s inparallelwithe n v i r o n m e n t a l ▲Drought Aral Sea.
degradationinKarakalpakstan. And most drinking water sources do notcomply with water standards in Karakalpkastan. The
groundwater table in Karakalpakstan is contaminated witha high level of salts and other minerals.
For the past 40-45 years the population in Karakalpakstan
has been using highly mineralized and polluted drinking
water. The deteriorating health situation is contributed to
the worsening ecological situation and the resulting decline
in the regional economy. Diseases seem to increase,particularly rates of anemia, tuberculosis, kidney and liverdiseases, respiratory infections, allergies and cancer, which
far exceed the rest of the former USSR and present-day
Russia.

In conclusion the negative environmental factors(pesticides, high mineralization of water, and imbalance ofelements such as iodine deficiency) has contributed tonegative health consequences for women and children in theAral Sea region and, in combination with medical and social
factors, result in the high level of pathologies, including
maternal and infant morbidity and mortality.
However, international community efforts in recent years
have largely focused on reversing the ecological damage
caused by excessive irrigation.

Average life expectancy in the Kzyl-Orda region of
Kazakhstan has declined from 64 to 51 years. Women andchildren are the most vulnerable. Maternal and infantmorbidity as well as mortality are significantly higher in
Karakalpakstan and Kzyl-Orda than in other parts of
Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan.

These initiative has had a tangible impact on improving
water supply systems; enhancing health conditions; and to alimited degree creating new economic opportunities.

10

No.59 July 2010

ISSN 0918-8266

INSIDE A “KIVVULU”: LIFE IN KAMPALA SLUMSHadijah KIBIRA (Uganda)
infections. While in other areas, the people can access cleanwater by rain harvesting from roof tops which is stored in theirwater tanks, the housing structures in Kivvulu can not be used
to harvest any rain water. At the same time, the people in theseareas are poor and can only afford to store water in 20 litre
containers. All the rain water is wasted and usually ends up
flooding these low lying areas. Floods, especially, after a heavy
rain are a common phenomenon and another menace to thepeople in Kivvulu. All household properties are usually soaked
and people can not sleep due to the water that fills all houses.

Uganda, just like any other less developed countries, is a fasturbanizing country. Presently the highest rate of urban growthrate estimated at 5%. One of the places in the country where isin the capital city of Kampala.
With its quick growth and expansion, there has also been arapid proliferation of slum areas commonly known as“KIVVULU”. These slum areas, located in the valleys of theoriginal Kampala, have resulted from the rapid rural-urban
migration. This migration is due to widespread rural poverty,
and the high natural population increase in the country.

The sanitation in Kivvulu is another sad story. Many
habitants lack any form of structure that can be called a toilet.
The toilets, when they exist, are makeshift structures ofbasically shallow holes whose contents can be seen. These
temporary holes contents are washed out by the rain. Many
people defecate in polythene bags that are strewn all over inthe form of garbage. Such conditions have always led tooutbreaks of diseases like cholera and deaths due to the same.

The living environment in the kivvulu (slum) leaves a lot to
be desired. The people stay in temporary housing structures
made of mud and wattle and are roofed with polythene papers,
tarpaulin or grass. The structures are one to two roomed. Theylack windows and ventilators and house 8-10 people. As there
are only dividing curtains that separate the living area from thesleeping area, there is no privacy. The children sleep in whatmakes the living room during day. There is only basic furniture
like the head of the household’s bed, a chair and a table.

In a nut shell, theliving environment in
the slums is poor. It is asituation that needs tobe addressed by theurbanplannersifs u s t a i n a b l edevelopment is to beachieved in the country.

The overriding feature of these areas is overcrowding. There islittle or no space between the houses for even access routes orservices. There is a mixture of land uses in the slum areas including
residential, informal trade activities and film show rooms.
The slum environment is also lacking in clean water andsanitation. Clean water and sanitation are important because
the lack of these gives rise to higher levels of susceptibility to▲A Housing and Sanitation Facility

100 years ago in 1910. Shiotani introduced various episodes overthese 100 years in which the status of women has improved. In
continuing this trend, she called upon everyone to take steps
towards establishing a world of peace and human rights.
Specifically, she asked for people to focus on by turning theinternational
community
and accomplish what they
can in their own area with asense of mission. In otherwords, this means “Think
Globally, Act Locally.” She
received a strong applausefrom the audience.

On February 22, 2010, the Kitakyushu Forum on Asian
Women and UNIFEM Kitakyushu co-hosted a lecture by theformer governor of Kumamoto Prefecture and current Presidentof Nagasaki International University, Yoshiko Shiotani.
Under the theme of “Think Globally, Act Locally,” she separately
raised the cases of environmental pollution; global warming andwater resource issues, and connected problems associated withthe environment; mankind and society. She stressed that in orderto solve these issues, “coexistence” was key, especially concerning
the environment, individual cultures and national laws.
On the subject of equal participation in society by men andwomen, she spoke about an “International Day for Women” which
was advocated at an international conference held in Denmark

Location of
Kitakyushu

KITAKYUSHU OTEMACHI BUILDING 3F
OTEMACHI 11-4, KOKURAKITA, KITAKYUSHU, 803-0814 JAPAN
PHONE＋81-93-583-3434 FAX＋81-93-583-5195

Pyongyang
Beijing

Seoul

Tokyo
Kitakyushu

From the June 2008 issue, we have capitalized thelast names of persons at the beginning of articles.
We adopted this policy so that our readers caneasily distinguish last names in spite of different
customs regarding the writing of family names.

E-mail: kfaw@kfaw.or.jp URL: http://www.kfaw.or.jp/index.html.en

KFAW
The Kitakyushu Forum on Asian Women (KFAW) was established in October of1990 with a special government fund for revitalization projects. Subsequently, in
1993, the KFAW was recognized as a foundation by the Ministry of Labour (thepresent Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare). The purpose of the KFAW is topromote the improvement of women's status through various projects, as well as
their mutual understanding and cooperation in Asia.

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