워킹페이퍼

Using data from the 1960, 1966, and 1970 population census sample, the role of female labor in the early rise of the manufacturing industry in South Korea is analyzed. Through the 1960s, women provided a significant portion of labor supply to the manufacturing sector, ranging from 6 to 15% of the female population. Mostly, they began to work in the manufacturing sector in their mid-teens and left the job after marriage and childbirth in the twenties. Most of them lived with their family, but the share of independent living significantly increased by 1970, which was relevant with a rise of across-region migration for manufacturing employment. Manufacturing jobs were concentrated in Seoul, Busan, or Gyeongbuk, while several rural districts also had some manufacturing jobs in the food and beverage industries. Some cities had a more female-labor-intensive manufacturing sector than others.