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Indian Express
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Gender-based polarisation is making democratic consensus harder to achieve
On June 3, South Korea elected Lee Jae-Myung as their new president, ending months of political instability following Yoon Seok Yeol's declaration of martial law and impeachment. Lee now faces the daunting task of healing a deeply divided nation. Divisions extend beyond ideological lines, increasingly shaped by gender-based polarisation. Young women predominantly support progressive parties like Lee's Democratic Party (DP), while young men seem to back conservative forces like the People Power Party (PPP) and New Reform Party (NRP). Gender polarisation in South Korea While older generations often lean towards conservatives, what stands out in South Korea is the rising conservatism among Gen Z men, who now form the base of conservative/right-wing support. Young women, on the other hand, form the core of the progressive support base. Exit polls reflected a stark gender divide among Korean young voters. Only 24 per cent of men in their 20s supported Lee (DP), while a combined 74.1 per cent backed conservatives. In contrast, 58.1 per cent of women in the same age group voted for Lee. A similar pattern was also noticed among voters in their 30s. Gender division was also evident during the impeachment protests. Young men in their 20s and 30s largely joined pro-Yoon rallies, while young women dominated anti-Yoon demonstrations. Why the divide? South Korea performs poorly on most gender equality metrics. In 2025, the gender pay gap remained the highest in the OECD at 31.2 per cent. Despite these disparities, many young South Korean men (especially in their 20s) are turning conservative. Academics attribute this shift to socio-economic anxieties, including unemployment, military service, perceived loss of male privileges, and feelings of marginalisation and reverse discrimination, as women gain ground in traditionally male-dominated fields like education and employment. Online platforms, particularly male-dominated communities like Ilbe, have also become echo chambers for anti-feminist narratives and resentment-driven identity politics. Moreover, nationwide feminist movements like 4B, MeToo, Escape the Corset, and the Hyewha station protests against spy-camera voyeurism (molka) gained traction. These, however, also deepened gender divides. 'Feminism' became a slur, with many young men perceiving it as a threat rather than a push for equality. Why do men vote for conservatives? Political analysts Robert E Kelly and Jaekwon Suh note that many South Korean voters support one party mainly out of opposition to the other, with partisan divides increasingly driven by emotion rather than clear policy-based ideological distinctions. Parties like DP and PPP have tapped into emotional divides, especially around gender. Many young men feel alienated by the DP and support the PPP, which they see as defending their interests, reflected in Yoon's 2022 pledge to abolish the Gender Equality Ministry and blaming feminism for the country's low birth rate. In 2025, the conservative vote was split. Lee, known for his anti-feminist stance, tried to rally disaffected young men using Yoon's anti-women and pro-men playbook. PPP's leader Kim Moon-soo, also alienated women by remarking that 'women would rather raise dogs than have children'. Global Political Division between young men and women South Korea is not the only country experiencing political polarisation along gender lines. In many democracies, young men are increasingly gravitating toward conservatism, though the underlying causes vary. In the 2024 US presidential election, as per the AP VoteCast survey, Kamala Harris maintained an advantage among women, winning 53 per cent of their votes compared to Trump's 46 per cent. In contrast, Trump gained ground among men (including Black and Latino men), securing 54 per cent of their support. After the overturning of Roe v Wade in 2022, reproductive rights became a central issue for women. However, Trump's rhetoric dismissed women's concerns and appealed to male grievances about gender equality. Trump and Harris also strategically targeted gendered audiences. For instance, Trump appeared on The Joe Rogan Experience podcast, popular among young men, while Harris joined the Call Her Daddy podcast, which appeals to women under 35. In Germany's 2025 election, about 35 per cent of women between the ages of 18 and 24 voted for the far-left Die Linke Party, while 27 per cent of young men voted for the far-right Alternative for Germany (AFD party). What lies ahead? Gender-based polarisation is making democratic consensus harder to achieve. Instead of supporting a party's vision, voters increasingly vote against perceived threats to their identity. This weakens democracies, making politics more personal, polarised, and confrontational. Across the globe, young men and women are growing further apart in their worldviews. This growing gender divide is particularly concerning, as it may even affect Gen Z's ability to form relationships and start families — an alarming trend for countries like South Korea that are already facing declining birthrates. The writer is a Research Assistant at the Council for Strategic and Defence Research (CSDR) and a PhD Scholar in Korean Studies at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi
NDTV
04-06-2025
- General
- NDTV
Young South Korean Women Help Propel Liberal Candidate Lee To Victory
Seoul: Young women in South Korea voted in droves to help new liberal President Lee Jae-myung win Tuesday's election, reflecting the entrenched gender divide over politics in the country where more young men backed conservative candidates. Around 58 per cent of women voters in their 20s and 57 per cent in their 30s voted for Lee of the Democratic Party, a joint exit poll by three broadcasters showed, mirroring the 2022 presidential election, while a majority of their male peers picked Kim Moon-soo of the People Power Party and Lee Jun-seok, another conservative candidate. Young women led the charge against former President Yoon Suk Yeol who was ousted in April by the Supreme Court after being impeached over his short-lived imposition of martial law, triggering the snap election. They outnumbered their male peers in massive anti-Yoon protests as they waved K-pop light sticks while braving near sub-zero temperatures in the winter. "I voted for Lee Jae-myung in part because I was a little nervous about candidate Kim Moon-soo climbing in polls towards the end of the election," said Moon Song-hee, a 32-year-old female voter in Seoul. Mr Kim and his party had failed to distance themselves from Mr Yoon, driving away people like her who were protesting outside parliament soon after the December 3 martial law declaration, she said. The women-led "revolution" is a starting point for making progress on gender equality that was reversed under Yoon, the Korea Women's Association United said in a statement. "This is not a simple regime change, but a historical achievement made by the fierce struggle of the people to restore the gender-equal democracy destroyed by the Yoon Suk Yeol regime," the group said in a statement. The issue of gender inequality has become a lightning rod in the country. South Korea has the worst gender pay gap in the OECD, with women earning about two-thirds of the income of men. Efforts to redress such inequalities have triggered a backlash among young men, amid perceptions of reverse discrimination, including disgruntlement at the compulsory military service that is not required for women, some experts say. Former leader Mr Yoon tapped into anti-feminist sentiment by vowing to abolish the gender equality ministry and courted young male voters in the last election in 2022, losing a majority of young women's votes to Lee. The ministry has outlived Yoon, though without a minister. "I was baffled by the promise to abolish the gender equality ministry. To be honest, I didn't really think that women were on their minds for the past three years," she said after voting for Mr Lee for the second time. Mr Lee has vowed to expand the role of the gender equality ministry and strengthen punishment for violence against women. "Young people were driven to extreme competition to the point of fighting between men and women," Mr Lee said as he was sworn in as president on Wednesday, blaming a lack of opportunities and stiff competition for driving a wedge between the genders. However, Mr Lee has not been a vocal supporter of anti-discrimination legislation and when the Democratic Party first revealed his policies, a lack of gender issues drew criticism. The Korea Women's Political Network, an activist group, contended that Mr Lee was ignoring gender equality out of fear it would hurt him at the polls, and after his victory, urged him to adopt some of the commitments made by the minor Democratic Labor Party's candidate Kwon Young-kook. Kwon Seo-hyun, an 18-year-old freshman at Sookmyung Women's University said she took part in anti-Yoon protests following his martial law, but voted for candidate Kwon, who has called himself a feminist. He was the only candidate who vowed to enact anti-discrimination laws. "One thing I am a bit frustrated about with mainstream candidates whether Lee Jae-myung or other conservative candidates is they lack policy on women or minority groups," she said. Gender equality was not among the key policy issues put forward during this election, a stark contrast from the 2022 vote. There were also no female candidates running in a presidential election for the first time in 18 years.
Yahoo
04-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Young South Korean women help propel liberal candidate Lee to victory
(Corrects to remove hyphen from Yoon Suk Yeol's name in paragraph 3) By Hyunsu Yim and Ju-min Park SEOUL (Reuters) -Young women in South Korea voted in droves to help new liberal President Lee Jae-myung win Tuesday's election, reflecting the entrenched gender divide over politics in the country where more young men backed conservative candidates. Around 58% of women voters in their 20s and 57% in their 30s voted for Lee of the Democratic Party, a joint exit poll by three broadcasters showed, mirroring the 2022 presidential election, while a majority of their male peers picked Kim Moon-soo of the People Power Party and Lee Jun-seok, another conservative candidate. Young women led the charge against former President Yoon Suk Yeol who was ousted in April by the Supreme Court after being impeached over his short-lived imposition of martial law, triggering the snap election. They outnumbered their male peers in massive anti-Yoon protests as they waved K-pop light sticks while braving near sub-zero temperatures in the winter. "I voted for Lee Jae-myung in part because I was a little nervous about candidate Kim Moon-soo climbing in polls towards the end of the election," said Moon Song-hee, a 32-year-old female voter in Seoul. Kim and his party had failed to distance themselves from Yoon, driving away people like her who were protesting outside parliament soon after the December 3 martial law declaration, she said. The women-led "revolution" is a starting point for making progress on gender equality that was reversed under Yoon, the Korea Women's Association United said in a statement. "This is not a simple regime change, but a historical achievement made by the fierce struggle of the people to restore the gender-equal democracy destroyed by the Yoon Suk Yeol regime," the group said in a statement. The issue of gender inequality has become a lightning rod in the country. South Korea has the worst gender pay gap in the OECD, with women earning about two-thirds of the income of men. Efforts to redress such inequalities have triggered a backlash among young men, amid perceptions of reverse discrimination, including disgruntlement at the compulsory military service that is not required for women, some experts say. Former leader Yoon tapped into anti-feminist sentiment by vowing to abolish the gender equality ministry and courted young male voters in the last election in 2022, losing a majority of young women's votes to Lee. The ministry has outlived Yoon, though without a minister. "I was baffled by the promise to abolish the gender equality ministry. To be honest, I didn't really think that women were on their minds for the past three years," she said after voting for Lee for the second time. Lee has vowed to expand the role of the gender equality ministry and strengthen punishment for violence against women. "Young people were driven to extreme competition to the point of fighting between men and women," Lee said as he was sworn in as president on Wednesday, blaming a lack of opportunities and stiff competition for driving a wedge between the genders. However, Lee has not been a vocal supporter of anti-discrimination legislation and when the Democratic Party first revealed his policies, a lack of gender issues drew criticism. The Korea Women's Political Network, an activist group, contended that Lee was ignoring gender equality out of fear it would hurt him at the polls, and after his victory, urged him to adopt some of Kwon's commitments. Kwon Seo-hyun, an 18-year-old freshman at Sookmyung Women's University said she took part in anti-Yoon protests following his martial law, but voted for Kwon Young-kook, the minor Democratic Labor Party's candidate. Kwon has called himself a feminist and was the only candidate who vowed to enact anti-discrimination laws. "One thing I am a bit frustrated about with mainstream candidates whether Lee Jae-myung or other conservative candidates is they lack policy on women or minority groups," she said. Gender equality was not among the key policy issues put forward during this election, a stark contrast from the 2022 vote. There were also no female candidates running in a presidential election for the first time in 18 years.
Straits Times
04-06-2025
- General
- Straits Times
Young South Korean women help propel liberal candidate Lee to victory
FILE PHOTO: Supporters of Lee Jae-myung, the presidential candidate for South Korea's Democratic Party, cheer during an election campaign rally at a park in Seoul, South Korea, May 28, 2025. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji FILE PHOTO: Supporters of Lee Jae-myung, the presidential candidate for South Korea's Democratic Party, cheer during an election campaign rally at a park in Seoul, South Korea, May 28, 2025. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji/File Photo FILE PHOTO: Supporters of Lee Jae-myung, the presidential candidate of South Korea's Democratic Party, gather on the day of the presidential election, outside of National Assembly, in Seoul, South Korea, June 3, 2025. REUTERS/Go Nakamura/File Photo FILE PHOTO: Supporters of Lee Jae-myung, the presidential candidate of South Korea's Democratic Party, cheer during an election campaign rally in Seoul, South Korea, June 2, 2025. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji/File Photo SEOUL - Young women in South Korea voted in droves to help new liberal President Lee Jae-myung win Tuesday's election, reflecting the entrenched gender divide over politics in the country where more young men backed conservative candidates. Around 58% of women voters in their 20s and 57% in their 30s voted for Lee of the Democratic Party, a joint exit poll by three broadcasters showed, mirroring the 2022 presidential election, while a majority of their male peers picked Kim Moon-soo of the People Power Party and Lee Jun-seok, another conservative candidate. Young women led the charge against former President Yoon Suk-yeol who was ousted in April by the Supreme Court after being impeached over his short-lived imposition of martial law, triggering the snap election. They outnumbered their male peers in massive anti-Yoon protests as they waved K-pop light sticks while braving near sub-zero temperatures in the winter. "I voted for Lee Jae-myung in part because I was a little nervous about candidate Kim Moon-soo climbing in polls towards the end of the election," said Moon Song-hee, a 32-year-old female voter in Seoul. Kim and his party had failed to distance themselves from Yoon, driving away people like her who were protesting outside parliament soon after the December 3 martial law declaration, she said. The women-led "revolution" is a starting point for making progress on gender equality that was reversed under Yoon, the Korea Women's Association United said in a statement. "This is not a simple regime change, but a historical achievement made by the fierce struggle of the people to restore the gender-equal democracy destroyed by the Yoon Suk Yeol regime," the group said in a statement. The issue of gender inequality has become a lightning rod in the country. South Korea has the worst gender pay gap in the OECD, with women earning about two-thirds of the income of men. Efforts to redress such inequalities have triggered a backlash among young men, amid perceptions of reverse discrimination, including disgruntlement at the compulsory military service that is not required for women, some experts say. Former leader Yoon tapped into anti-feminist sentiment by vowing to abolish the gender equality ministry and courted young male voters in the last election in 2022, losing a majority of young women's votes to Lee. The ministry has outlived Yoon, though without a minister. "I was baffled by the promise to abolish the gender equality ministry. To be honest, I didn't really think that women were on their minds for the past three years," she said after voting for Lee for the second time. Lee has vowed to expand the role of the gender equality ministry and strengthen punishment for violence against women. "Young people were driven to extreme competition to the point of fighting between men and women," Lee said as he was sworn in as president on Wednesday, blaming a lack of opportunities and stiff competition for driving a wedge between the genders. However, Lee has not been a vocal supporter of anti-discrimination legislation and when the Democratic Party first revealed his policies, a lack of gender issues drew criticism. The Korea Women's Political Network, an activist group, contended that Lee was ignoring gender equality out of fear it would hurt him at the polls, and after his victory, urged him to adopt some of Kwon's commitments. Kwon Seo-hyun, an 18-year-old freshman at Sookmyung Women's University said she took part in anti-Yoon protests following his martial law, but voted for Kwon Young-kook, the minor Democratic Labor Party's candidate. Kwon has called himself a feminist and was the only candidate who vowed to enact anti-discrimination laws. "One thing I am a bit frustrated about with mainstream candidates whether Lee Jae-myung or other conservative candidates is they lack policy on women or minority groups," she said. Gender equality was not among the key policy issues put forward during this election, a stark contrast from the 2022 vote. There were also no female candidates running in a presidential election for the first time in 18 years. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Nikkei Asia
30-05-2025
- Politics
- Nikkei Asia
What happened to South Korea's progressive movement?
Haeryun Kang is a journalist and filmmaker in Seoul. She is currently directing the feature documentary "Naro's Search for Space." When former President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law on Dec. 3, he probably had no idea how much mess he would create in the ensuing months. Martial law ended after six hours, rejected by the National Assembly. Millions protested on the streets, dividing the country into pro- and anti-Yoon camps, eventually leading to his impeachment in early April. Now, as South Korea races toward a sudden presidential election on June 3, the shadow of Yoon's self-inflicted constitutional crisis trails behind the candidates.
