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In a survey of 29 countries, South Korea had the second‑largest gender divide over whether gender equality has gone far enough. Among the countries studied, South Korea had the lowest proportion of men and women who identified as feminists.

On Monday, polling agency Ipsos and the Global Institute for Women’s Leadership at King's College London announced the results of a joint survey conducted for International Women's Day 2026, which fell on Sunday. 

According to the study, the gender gap in perceptions regarding gender equality in South Korea was 23 percentage points, the second largest among the 29 countries after Sweden (25 percentage points). 

Among Koreans, 65% of men agreed with the statement, “When it comes to giving women equal rights with men, things have gone far enough in my country,” whereas only 42% of women agreed. This gap was more than double the international average of 11 percentage points. 

The survey was conducted online from Dec. 24, 2025, to Jan. 9, polling 23,268 adults aged 18 and over in 29 countries, including the United States, Japan and India.

Responses to the question “When it comes to giving women equal rights with men, things have gone far enough in my country,” presented in the Ipsos International Women’s Day Report.

The percentage of Korean respondents disagreeing with the statement “I define myself as a feminist” was 74%, the highest among the 29 countries. Notably, only 13% of Korean men considered themselves feminists, ranking last among the 29 countries. Among women, the rate was 28%, the second lowest after Japan (15%).

Korean men's support for female leadership was also very low compared to their counterparts in other countries. Only 36% of Korean men agreed with the statement “Women won't achieve equality with men in [Korea] unless there are more female leaders in business and government,” compared to 52% of women.

Despite gender differences in perspective, both Korean men and women strongly rejected traditional norms within marriage. Only 9% of Korean respondents agreed that “a wife should always obey her husband,” and the rate agreeing that “a husband should have the final word on important decisions made in his home” was also relatively low, at 19%.

Heejung Chung, the director of the Global Institute for Women’s Leadership at King's College London and one of the researchers behind the survey, explained, “Korea shows one of the world's largest gender gaps in perceptions of whether gender equality has been sufficiently achieved, while traditional norms are strongly rejected by both men and women. Despite growing backlash against official gender equality policies, there appears to be a willingness to redefine gender roles in the home and workplace.”

By Ko Na-rin, staff reporter

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