The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs is taking steps to enhance women's participation in decision-making processes in rural villages by identifying best practices for gender equality. The ministry plans to shift village voting rights from a 'one household, one vote' system to 'one person, one vote' to ensure women's involvement in decision-making.
On October 29, the ministry announced it will produce and distribute online and offline content showcasing exemplary cases from rural villages to guarantee the rights and participation of female farmers and foster a gender-equal rural culture.
Through the '6th Basic Plan for the Promotion of Female Farmers (2026-2030),' the ministry is focusing on expanding gender-equal election methods for village leaders as a key initiative. While women account for 49.8% of the farming population, only 11.6% held village leader positions as of December last year, a stark contrast to the 76.3% of female neighborhood leaders in urban areas.
The 'one household, one vote' practice in some rural villages has been identified as a factor limiting women's participation in decision-making. The National Human Rights Commission also expressed the need to address the gender imbalance in decision-making structures in rural areas in August.
In response, the ministry plans to distribute brochures and card news featuring successful gender equality practices through local governments and agricultural organizations at the town and village levels. A campaign video promoting gender equality culture will also be produced by the end of the year to support awareness improvement and voluntary participation among residents.
One exemplary case highlighted is Samtae Village in Jeollanam-do, which changed its voting criteria from 'one vote per household' to 'one vote per person.' In Jeju's Geumak-ri, the village operating committee's appointed members were revised to ensure equal representation of men and women.
Additionally, examples were shared where roles in village events are not divided by gender, with both men and women participating equally in food preparation and cleanup, as seen in Cheongchon Village in Jeollanam-do and Hyo-gye 1-ri in Chungcheongnam-do. The Jeju Gender Equality Village Project Team also distributed standard clauses for gender-equal village regulations for other villages to reference.
Yoon Won-seup, the Agricultural Policy Director at the Ministry of Agriculture, stated, “As we mark the 'International Year of Women Farmers' designated by the UN, it is crucial to strengthen the practical status and representation of female farmers. We will actively support the creation of a gender-equal rural environment where the voices of female farmers are faithfully reflected in local decision-making.”
* This article has been translated by AI.
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