Leadership in Action: Issues and Observations - For Women Leaders in Korea, Gains but Miles to Go

CHALLENGE AND CHANGE

Most organizations in Korea are slowly moving from a monolithic culture, in which one demographic group (males) prevails in decision-making positions, toward a pluralistic one, in which minorities, such as women, are allowed to enter, even though pressured to follow norms set by the majority. Therefore women who are in the higher positions face many challenges.

These token women share such common experiences as increased visibility, social isolation, performance pressures, and conflicting pressures arising from the different societal stereotypes for leaders and for women. As a consequence these women leaders are more likely than men to have their mistakes amplified, to be isolated as a social out-group, and to be encapsulated ...