Strong Blast by Females on the Higher Civil Service Examination

This year, the female proportion on the Higher Civil Service Examination marked a record high.

The Civil Service Commission announced yesterday that among the 198 successful candidates on the 48th Higher Civil Service Examination, 76 were females, marking a record high of 38.4 percent. The proportion is 4.9 percent higher than last year’s 33.5 percent.

The proportion of successful female candidates has been increasing every year: 25.1 percent in 2000; 25.3 percent in 2001; and 28.4 percent in 2002.

In particular, as all ten quotas of the Education Administration category were filled with women after the second round, three male candidates were selected in addition due to the gender quota system in recruiting, which stipulates that either sex must occupy at least 30 percent of the final quota. Consequently, the Education Administration category increased its recruitment quota by three.

Although all three winners of the Social Welfare category were also females, the gender quota system did not apply because it only applies to categories that recruit more than five people.

In addition, the candidate with the highest score among the nine categories including the General, Justice, and Economic Administrations categories was Bae Sung-hee (31 years old, 64.39 average points), who applied to the Juvenile Protection category.

Among the highest scorers in the nine categories, six including Bae, were females. The youngest winner was also female (Lee Sun-hye, 21 years old).

In each category, the numbers of successful female candidates were: the General Administration, with the highest number of female winners, 33; Economic Administration, 21; Education Administration, 10; International Trade, 7; Social Welfare, 3, and Juvenile Protection, one.

Meanwhile, this year’s Higher Civil Service Examination marked a competition rate of 72-to-one with 14,184 people applying.

Hyun-Doo Lee ruchi@donga.com