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By Lee Hyo-jin
The government should step up support for the employment of elderly women, following increases in the population of elderly women with a high level of education and willingness to work, The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family said.
The ministry held a second meeting with related experts Friday to analyze the employment status of women and discuss future policies in cooperation with the Ministry of Employment and Labor, the Korean Women's Development Institute (KWDI) and the Korea Labor Institute (KLI).
The country has more than 4 million women aged between 55 and 64 as of May this year, up 59.6 percent from 2.5 million in May 2010, according to data from the KWDI.
Among that age group, the number of women with a college degree or a higher level of education stood at 533,000, more than triple the 168,000 in 2010.
A survey among women aged between 55 and 79 showed that more than half, or 58.2 percent have the wish to work, an 8.8 percent point increase from 2015.
"The willingness of middle-aged and elderly women to participate in the labor market has been rising consistently. The government should come up with more policies to expand support for them," Vice Minister of Gender Equality and Family Kim Kyung-sun said through a press release.