Abstract

Purpose: This study examines perceptions of gender parity (50:50 representation) and support for gender equality policies in South Korea, and contextualizes the South Korean findings using the pooled European Social Survey (ESS) sample as a broader comparative benchmark. It also descriptively compares mean policy support across levels of gender parity perceptions. Research design, data and methodology: Weighted descriptive analyses were conducted using the 2025 Korean General Social Survey (KGSS) and ESS Round 11. Gender parity perceptions were examined in the family, business, and political domains, and support was assessed for equal parental leave, fines for unequal pay, and equal parliamentary representation. Comparisons were also made across gender, age, experience of discrimination, and political orientation. Results: Gender parity perceptions were generally positive in both samples but showed greater socio-demographic variation in South Korea. South Korea showed higher support than the pooled ESS sample for equal parental leave, whereas the pooled ESS sample showed higher support for fines for unequal pay and equal parliamentary representation. Mean policy support was generally higher among respondents with more positive perceptions of gender parity, although differences across perception categories varied by policy domain and sample. Conclusions: The findings show heterogeneous descriptive patterns across policy domains and social groups. They should not be interpreted as statistically adjusted associations or causal effects.