ESG 경영에서의 성평등 과제

Abstract

With the strong global emphasis on ESG investment and ESG management, gender equality issues are garnering increasing interests as significant indices of ESG management. This study aims to investigate how much progress has been made regarding ESG and gender equality in Korean companies. From the ESG evaluation data and the previous research, gender equality in Korean companies can be assessed as an early stage in terms of practicing gender equality, compared to companies globally. The interview results of 8 companies can been summarized as follow; 1. The interviewed companies see that the ESG trend and gender equality issues are necessary for their long-term sustainability. 2. The primary motives for gender equality practices were a strong push from upper management level, high ratio of women in core departments/talents of a company, and emphasis on women customers. 3. Gender equality practices are less developed than work-life balance practices, and 4. There is little assistance and control for supply chain companies’ ESG management. The implications for gender equality in ESG management for Korean companies from this study are that companies should stretch the meaning of ESG management as a way to solve global problems such as climate crisis, economic inequality, and weakening institutions, that companies should make more progress on gender equality practices in selection, occupational integration, and promotion, that companies should change their corporate cultures in favor of gender-equality ESG practices with top managers’ buy-in and strong support, and that big companies should expand their ESG management efforts to small or medium companies and their (female) employees in their supply chain.