[Polarization and Korean Democracy Series] VI. Gender Gap in Youth Political Participation

I. Introduction

On December 3rd, a particularly notable phenomenon at the rally calling for the impeachment of President Yoon Suk-yeol in relation to the state of emergency was the active participation of young women. Instead of candles, they held cheering sticks, and instead of protest songs, they sang K-pop songs like Girls' Generation's 'Into the New World' or Rosé's 'On the Ground' to lead the rally's atmosphere. This new form of expression was based on the idol fan club culture centered around young women, contributing to transforming the somber and solemn atmosphere of previous rallies into a bright and dynamic festival. However, while women in their 20s and 30s actively engaged in political action at the impeachment rally, men of the same age group were rarely seen. This can be seen as another instance where the gender gap in political participation became prominent within the 20s and 30s age group surrounding the state of emergency and impeachment rallies.

In fact, this gender gap is not unique to this particular rally. During the 20th presidential election, there was a clear political confrontation between young men supporting Yoon Suk-yeol and young women supporting Lee Jae-myung. Similarly, in the 22nd general election, differences in political tendencies between young men supporting the People Power Party and young women supporting the Democratic Party of Korea have repeatedly appeared. The gender-based differences in political behavior were similarly evident in the December 3rd state of emergency incident. While the presidential and general elections could primarily be seen as differences between candidates and parties within the framework of democracy, this incident was an event with coup-like characteristics that threatened to halt the constitutional order, going beyond the basic framework of democracy. Nevertheless, the continued existence of gender-based differences in political behavior within the youth demographic warrants attention. This is because it suggests the possibility that the gender divide among the youth may have expanded beyond mere differences in political preference to encompass differences in beliefs about the democratic system itself.

This article will analyze, focusing on the youth demographic, how their political behavior and values differ by gender. Furthermore, it will examine the connection between these value differences and their judgments regarding the December 3rd state of emergency and their participation in rallies. To this end, we will analyze data collected by Korea Research at the request of the East Asia Institute (EAI) following the December 3rd state of emergency. The survey data was collected from 1,514 adult men and women aged 18 and above nationwide in January 2025.

II. Differences in Political Participation Between Young Men and Women

1. Young Women: Most Actively Translated Political Opinions into Action.

According to the survey data of 1,514 respondents, approximately 9.7% (147 individuals) participated in the rally calling for President Yoon Suk-yeol's impeachment due to the state of emergency, while 90.3% (1,367 individuals) did not. Thus, the proportion of respondents who directly participated in the rally was low. Among the 147 individuals who participated in the impeachment rally, 28 respondents (19.1%) were women in their 20s, constituting the largest group, followed by 18 male respondents in their 40s (12.2%) and 17 male respondents in their 50s (11.6%).

Examining each demographic group, 25.5% of female respondents in their 20s reported having participated in the rally, showing the highest participation rate compared to other groups. This is a distinct difference from the participation rates of male respondents in their 20s (9.8%), male respondents in their 30s (8.1%), and female respondents in their 30s (6.7%). Following young women, approximately 14.2% of male respondents in their 40s reported having participated in the rally, marking the second-highest proportion, followed by men in their 50s (approximately 11.4%). In summary, the survey results indicate that the impeachment rally was primarily led by young women and men in their 40s and 50s.

[Figure 1] Participation in Rally Regarding Yoon Suk-yeol's Impeachment - Generational and Gender Differences

[Table 1] Participation in Rally Regarding Yoon Suk-yeol's Impeachment - Generational and Gender Differences

Next, examining the rallies opposing Yoon Suk-yeol's impeachment, the proportion of respondents who had participated in an opposing rally was 5.28% (80 out of 1,514 total respondents), which was slightly lower than the participation rate in impeachment-urging rallies. Among the 80 participants, the largest demographic groups were males and females in their 70s and above, and males in their 50s, each constituting approximately 11.25% (9 individuals). Furthermore, looking at each demographic group, approximately 9.5% of male respondents in their 70s reported having participated in an impeachment opposition rally, showing the highest participation rate.

Several interesting points emerge. As seen in [Figure 1] and [Table 1], the gender gap in impeachment-related rally experience within the 20s generation is the largest compared to other middle-aged and older generations. In age groups older than 20, males generally showed higher rally participation experience than females, whereas in the 20s generation, females showed more active participation than males. This trend of females surpassing males was observed not only in impeachment-urging rallies but also in impeachment opposition rallies. Specifically, males in their 20s were not active in either the urging or opposing factions regarding the impeachment issue. As indicated in [Table 1] above, the average impeachment-urging rally participation rate for the generation/age group was approximately 9.7%, and the average impeachment opposition rally participation rate was approximately 5.3%, neither of which is particularly low for males in their 20s compared to other demographic groups. [Figure 1] also shows that most demographic groups fall within the 5-10% range. In summary, while males in their 20s exhibited an average participation rate not significantly lower than other groups, females in their 20s participated much more actively in impeachment-related rallies compared to males of the same age or individuals in other age brackets.

[Figure 2] Evaluation of Yoon Suk-yeol's Impeachment and Martial Law - Generational and Gender Differences

[Table 2] Evaluation of Yoon Suk-yeol's Impeachment and Martial Law - Generational and Gender Differences

One point that needs to be clarified is that groups that did not actively participate in rallies, such as women in their 20s, do not necessarily oppose Yoon Suk-yeol's impeachment or agree with martial law. According to [Table 2], respondents generally tended to favor Yoon Suk-yeol's impeachment (average score of approximately 3.8) and held a negative view of martial law (average score of approximately 4.1). Furthermore, as shown in [Figure 2], from the 20s to the 50s, the stance of favoring impeachment and holding a negative view of martial law is relatively clearly represented (between 4 and 5). In contrast, those in their 60s and above exhibit a more lukewarm attitude towards impeachment or martial law compared to younger generations (between 3 and 4).

Meanwhile, although respondents in their 20s on average favored impeachment and held a negative view of martial law, gender differences are detected within this group. According to [Table 2], women (impeachment 4.29 points, martial law 4.54 points) were more in favor of impeachment and showed a more critical attitude toward martial law than men (impeachment 3.72 points, martial law 3.98 points). This difference is particularly pronounced within the 20s age group compared to other generations.

In summary, regarding the martial law incident of December 3rd, people generally evaluated martial law negatively and showed a stance in favor of Yoon Suk-yeol's impeachment. However, women in their 20s were the most active in translating these political opinions into action by participating in rallies.

2. Emotional Polarization and Dissatisfaction with the Yoon Administration

What, then, prompted women in their 20s to take the most active stance? Participating in protests or rallies requires considerable initiative from individual citizens, such as allocating time and resources, and is generally based on negative emotions like strong dissatisfaction and distrust towards the system. However, according to the survey results, women in their 20s are not only the group that least favors politicians and political parties, specifically Yoon Suk-yeol and the ruling party, the People Power Party, but also the group that shows the most critical attitude towards the Yoon Suk-yeol administration's state affairs management.

[Figure 3] shows the results of measuring favorability towards Yoon Suk-yeol and the People Power Party, and Lee Jae-myung and the Democratic Party on a scale of 0 to 100, while [Figure 4] presents an evaluation of the Yoon Suk-yeol administration's state affairs management over the past three years on a 10-point scale. According to [Figure 3], women in their 20s showed the lowest "emotional temperature" towards Yoon Suk-yeol (9.95) and the People Power Party (15.14) compared to other demographic groups. [Figure 4] also reveals that they gave the lowest score of 2.39 for the evaluation of state affairs management, indicating the most negative assessment among all groups.

Furthermore, a noteworthy point in [Figure 3] is that women in their 20s exhibit the most extreme preferences when comparing favorability between Yoon Suk-yeol and Lee Jae-myung, and between the People Power Party and the Democratic Party. According to [Table 3], the difference in favorability between Yoon Suk-yeol (9.95) and Lee Jae-myung (44.88) for women in their 20s was –34.94, the largest among all groups. The difference between the People Power Party (15.14) and the Democratic Party (52.71) was –37.57, also recording the largest gap. A similarly large difference was observed in men in their 40s, with a favorability difference of –30.24 between Yoon Suk-yeol and Lee Jae-myung, and –32.98 between the People Power Party and the Democratic Party. As confirmed earlier, these two groups are also the ones who most actively participated in the rallies calling for impeachment.

In contrast, men in their 20s showed a favorability difference of only –2.37 between Yoon Suk-yeol (22.56) and Lee Jae-myung (24.93), and a difference of 0.84 between the People Power Party (32.61) and the Democratic Party (31.77). This contrasts sharply with the preference gap shown by women in their 20s, indicating a relatively cynical attitude towards both political figures and parties.

[Figure 3] Favorability towards Politicians and Political Parties

[Figure 4] Evaluation of the Yoon Suk-yeol Administration's State Affairs Management over the Past Three Years

[Table 3] Favorability towards Politicians and Political Parties (0-100)

In summary, the low approval rating of Yoon Suk-yeol among women in their 20s and the accumulated dissatisfaction and critical attitude towards the Yoon Suk-yeol administration's governance over the past three years have provided the foundation for direct actions such as the rally calling for Yoon Suk-yeol's impeachment, triggered by the current state of emergency. Notably, women in their 20s, compared to other demographic groups, exhibit the most polarized approval and disapproval ratings for both Yoon Suk-yeol and Lee Jae-myung, and this polarized sentiment may have driven them to more active engagement than other groups.

The 20th presidential election was a two-way race between Yoon Suk-yeol of the People Power Party and Lee Jae-myung of the Democratic Party. A significant portion of women in their 20s reportedly actively supported Lee Jae-myung in this contest. [Figure 5] illustrates the survey results on how free and fair respondents perceived the 20th presidential election and the 22nd general election to be. Interestingly, women in their 20s, compared to other demographic groups, provided the most negative assessment of the fairness of the election outcome in which Yoon Suk-yeol was elected. This is particularly pronounced when compared to men in their 40s or women in their 30s, who, despite showing low approval for candidate Yoon Suk-yeol, offered positive evaluations of the election's fairness.

Synthesizing these findings, the political sentiments of women in their 20s appear to be relatively polarized compared to other demographic groups. Their dissatisfaction with the results of the last presidential election was particularly high, and this negative sentiment likely led to their participation in impeachment rallies, catalyzed by the current state of emergency. Women in their 20s had been enduring their dissatisfaction with the Yoon Suk-yeol administration, and the state of emergency, in this context, acted as an opportune moment, akin to 'slapping someone who wants to cry,' providing them with a legitimate platform to voice their concerns. Comparing men and women in their 20s, men in their 20s do not exhibit the same extreme sentiments as women of the same age group and maintain a cynical attitude towards the political establishment. While they view the state of emergency negatively, their reaction does not escalate to direct action.

For reference, contrary to concerns that young men have become extremely right-wing and are subscribing to conspiracy theories about election fraud in the 22nd general election, young men in their 20s and 30s evaluated the 22nd general election as being, on average, fair, with no significant difference in responses compared to women of the same age group.

[Figure 5] Election Fairness in the 20th Presidential Election and 22nd General Election

III. Differences in Perceptions of Democracy Between Young Men and Women

The current state of emergency on December 3rd was an unconstitutional and abnormal coup d'état that deviated from the fundamental framework of democracy and halted the constitution. This is not merely a matter of political debate but a grave incident that shook the nation's constitutional order, fundamentally differing from the political highs and lows resulting from election outcomes like presidential or general elections. Therefore, when analyzing the reasons for the direct actions taken by women in their 20s in this situation, focusing solely on personal or political likes and dislikes towards Yoon Suk-yeol as a politician or the People Power Party is insufficient. While negative sentiments towards the Yoon Suk-yeol administration and the People Power Party were likely a significant background factor driving their actions, given the specific nature and gravity of this incident, it is highly probable that the factors prompting women in their 20s to participate in rallies extended beyond mere political antipathy. Their actions may have stemmed from their perceptions and values regarding democracy itself, and their anger towards a situation that threatened the constitutional order. This suggests the possibility that their actions are linked to a deeper consciousness of defending democracy, rather than simply expressing political preferences.

To explore this possibility, perceptions of the democratic system were analyzed. The survey asked respondents to choose the statement that best reflected their views from the following three options: 'Democracy is always better than any other system,' 'Dictatorship is better than democracy depending on the situation,' or 'For people like me, democracy or dictatorship makes no difference.' The following [Figure 6] and [Table 4] present the survey results by demographic group.

[Figure 6] Perceptions of Democracy - Generational and Gender Differences

According to the figure and table, the proportion of respondents who selected the statement 'Democracy is always better than any other system' was highest among women in their 30s (86.5%), followed by men in their 50s (82.6%), women in their 20s (80.9%), and women in their 40s (80.3%). Conversely, the proportion of respondents who selected 'Dictatorship is better than democracy depending on the situation' was highest among men in their 70s (27.4%), men in their 20s (23.6%), men in their 30s (21.1%), and men in their 60s (19.4%). Overall, women tended to evaluate democracy more favorably as always the better system compared to men, while men showed a higher proportion of responses indicating a potential preference for dictatorship depending on the situation. Notably, generational differences in gender were pronounced in the responses favoring democracy as always better. While the opinion gap between men and women was not significant in the middle-aged (40s-50s) and elderly (60s and above) generations, a clear gender gap emerged within the younger generation (20s-30s). In the 20s, the response rate gap between women and men reached 18.3 percentage points, and this gap widened to 22.3 percentage points in the 30s.

Considering these perceptual differences within the younger generation in conjunction with the previously discussed rally participation behavior, it is suggested that perceptions of democracy may have also played a significant role in prompting young women to take action to defend the democratic system when it was threatened in an abnormal manner.

[Table 4] Perceptions of Democracy - Generational and Gender Differences

IV. Conclusion

The analysis of the 12.3 state of emergency to date can be summarized as follows. Young adults in their 20s, both male and female, expressed a critical stance towards Yoon Suk-yeol's state of emergency, but it was young women in their 20s who participated more actively in rallies calling for impeachment. They showed more prominent participation compared to young men of the same age or other demographic groups. This group not only harbored accumulated dissatisfaction and dislike towards Yoon Suk-yeol and the People Power Party but also exhibited the largest gap in preference within the framework of Yoon Suk-yeol versus Lee Jae-myung and the People Power Party versus the Democratic Party. Such polarized emotions may have served as a significant background factor driving their participation in rallies. Meanwhile, young women in their 20s are also a group that holds stronger convictions about the democratic system than young men in their 20s. Therefore, their will to defend the system from Yoon Suk-yeol, who attempted to subvert the democratic constitutional order, was likely stronger than that of young men of the same generation, ultimately leading to direct action calling for Yoon Suk-yeol's impeachment.

This analysis is based on basic statistical analysis, so caution is needed in interpretation. However, based on the above, several implications can be drawn. First, the participation of young women in their 20s in impeachment rallies can be viewed as a positive action based on a firm conviction in defending the democratic system. However, behind this lies the simultaneous existence of strong polarized emotions towards politicians and political parties. Such extreme attitudes should be guarded against, as they can easily devolve into fandom politics, where political support is given based on like or dislike of a specific individual rather than policy rationality.

Second, it is significant that among young men in their 20s, the proportion of respondents who prefer dictatorship over democracy, or are indifferent to democracy and dictatorship, is relatively high compared to other demographic groups (refer to columns (B) + (C) in Table 4). Although young men in their 20s in this survey did not show a clear tendency to strongly oppose Yoon Suk-yeol's state of emergency or impeachment, or to agree with conspiracy theories about election fraud in the 22nd general election, their skeptical attitude towards the democratic system suggests a deep disappointment not only with the current administration but with the democratic constitutional system itself. While young women, at least, show a tendency to go out into the public square to vent their dissatisfaction with the current situation and actively seek solutions, young men tend to be cynical about the two major parties or politicians and remain silent about the situation. This is an unhealthy manifestation that can lead to chronic political aversion. Therefore, this also requires careful attention. ■

■ Kim Hanna, Professor of Moral Education, Jinju National University of Education.

■ Editor:Song Chaerin, EAI Research Fellow

    Inquiries and Editing: 02 2277 1683 (ext. 211) | crsong@eai.or.kr