Economic Insecurity and Gendered Social Policy Attitudes in South Korea

• In Event: International Political Economy of Technological Change

Abstract

Technology-driven economic changes, such as the introduction of robots and artificial intelligence, engender winners and losers in the labor market. Previous studies have shown that vulnerability in the labor market leads to demand for social protection (e.g., expansion of unemployment benefits) or redistribution against economic loss. Although disruptive consequences such as job loss are unevenly distributed by gender, less is known about the role of gender in shaping policy preferences for compensating losers of structural economic change. To fill this gap, we develop a theory that explains how gender bias in the labor market leads to gendered social policy preferences against economic hardship caused by automation. Our research focuses on the case of South Korea, where the economy is highly exposed to automation and faces high levels of gender inequality in the labor market. Building on previous studies, we first theorize that the gendered nature of job displacement affects the formation of social policy preferences. Women often occupy positions that are considered less prestigious or essential, making their work undervalued and thus less deserving of protection or compensation. Thus, when technology-induced job displacement occurs among predominantly female workers, people tend to view job loss as acceptable and are less likely to support social protection. Second, we argue that when the primary victims of automation are men, male respondents are more likely to support social protection due to heightened status anxiety. Because men are privileged in the labor market, they may perceive automation as a sudden and stochastic shock leading to a greater decline in social status than women. We test our theory using data from the Korean General Social Survey and a survey experiment. Our study sheds light on the importance of a gender perspective for understanding policy preferences in addressing the socioeconomic challenges posed by macroeconomic transformation.

Authors

• Soohyun Cho, Bowdoin College

• Jaewook Lee, University of Milan