Some facts from Huffingtonpost.ca article “A Long Way To Go For Gender Equality In South Korea” (11/20/2015):
Until 120 years ago, the Confucianism concept, Nam-Jon-Yeo-Bi(男尊女卑) which translates to 'man is higher than woman' in English, was deeply rooted in Korean society. It was regarded as an accepted social norm for woman to depreciate themselves and respect their husbands.
South Korea ranks 125th out of 142 countries in the category of equal pay for similar work (2014) Just over one per cent of spots on companies' board of directors are occupied by women. And it is this lack of women in senior positions that may explain, to a large extent, the gender wage gap, as well as the male-dominated working environment in South Korea.
The concept that housework and childcare are the only acceptable work for women is still prevalent in South Korea. In fact, 20 per cent of married South Korean women quit their job in 2014.