Ministry of Women and Gender Equality Plans to Common Ownership for Married

Some measures are being considered to strengthen the status of women in society. One example is a bill under which discrimination based on gender would be harshly treated. Another example is Married Couple’s Common Ownership System (MCCOS). If the MCCOS is enacted into the law, a married couple could register their assets under co-ownership or dispose of them upon mutual agreement.

Ministry of Women and Gender Equality (MWGE) announced on September 16, 2002 that they have worked on the draft of “Second (2003-2007) Basic Structure of Women’s Policies,” which contains the institutions mentioned just above, and would hold a public hearing on the draft at 2 p.m. on Sep. 17, in the International Conference room located at the second floor of Myungdong Center of Banks in Seoul.

After the public hearing and harmonizing process between relevant ministries, the draft will be determined for its adoptability by November.

According to the draft, the MCCOS will be introduced for building up an equal family law system and social institutions. However, the scope of it has not been determined. The government is reviewing three alternatives for that purpose. Under one plan, a married couple would co-own all the assets belonging to either of them. Another one would mandate spouses’ sharing of major assets. Under yet another plan, disposal of assets belonging to either of them would be disposable only when both parties agree.

In addition, the government is pushing for giving tax credits to house purchasers who own only one house per household if married couple co-owns the house.

Under the current legal system which acknowledges the separate ownership between spouses, if the title of a major asset such as real estate or residence belongs to the husband, the wife could not legally deter her husband from disposing of it. Therefore, women get disadvantaged in the process.

Along with these, the Ministry is considering beefing up regulatory measures against violators of its “recommendations.” Currently, even if someone does not comply with the recommendations of the Ministry, the Ministry has no authority to enforce them. Realizing this limitation, the Ministry is pushing for arming itself with authorities with which it can strongly enforce its policies by upgrading the “recommendations” to those equal to “orders,” for example.

It also plans to raise the ratio of female police officers to more than 10% by the year of 2010, and pull up the ratio of female high-ranking officials from the current 4.8% to 10% by the year of 2006.

Also in consideration are the measures to recruit more female military officers in the long run.

The Ministry also includes in the draft ways of expanding welfare benefits for women such as maternity leave to the unemployed and the self-employed, and giving substantial tax credits for the money spent on day-caring by increasing the amount eligible for receiving tax credits.

shchung@donga.com