Korean Women’s Institute

The Korean Women’s Institute (KWI) was founded on March 1, 1977 as a professional research institute of Ewha to deal with women issues. The KWI produces research projects based on a women-centered perspective and purposes to enhance the status of women.
For the first time in history, the KWI enabled Ewha students to take Women Studies as an undergraduate course in 1977. The first Master degree program was initiated in March, 1982.
In 1984, the KWI helped to launch the first nation-wide academic society in Women Studies, the Korean Association of Women Studies to support interchange between women research institutes in . The KWI has also established a data base of the history of Korean women based on its compiled research materials.
Today, the KWI holds various academic events and forums both in and outside of , since it has adopted globalization and internationalization of Women Studies as one of the key goals in 1994.
Last year, the KWI hosted an international academic forum called Reconciling Work and Family and Family Life in which event many important figures of each country participated. The KWI was also selected as one of the Ewha Specialization Schemes. As a part of this project, the institute administered the Gender Mainstreaming Policy Workshop to cultivate female leaders with a broader gender perspective,” said researcher of KWI, Lee Won-hyung.
 
The Korean Institute for Women & Politics
The Korean Institute for Women & Politics (KIWP) was established in 1989 to enhance women political participation.
This came from the notion that the unequal political environment holds back the implementation of measures that protect the rights of women in the political, economic, and social aspects of the society.
“The increase in political participation of women in politics will redress the existing gender imbalance and serve as a shortcut to harmony of the disrupted political arena,” said Kim Jung-sook, the chairman of KIWP.
Although the institute deals with women issues related to politics, it is a non-partisan organization. “Our institute hosts various social gatherings, discussions and seminars to promote women political contribution and develop democracy,” said Kim.
Internationally, KIWP has assumed a role as an East-Asian Representative of the Center of Asian-Pacific Women in Politics.
 
Ewha Institute for Women Theological Studies
Ewha Institute for Women theological Studies (EIWTS) was founded in March 1993. The institute was established to raise the awareness of women issues among the Korean churches and to promote gender equality through institutional reformation.
The organization accepts all religious order in Christianity. There are many orders in Christianity and according to which sect a follower belongs to, the set of dogmas differ.
“The institute seeks to rise above the borders of the different sects and to seek coordination,” said Lee Jeong-eun, a permanent researcher of the EIWTS.
Theological education at Ewha started in 1958 to educate female church leaders. With the advent of a new understanding of its mission in the modern world, the educational purpose has been extended to include the education and training of professional women theologians and women ministers who are able to perform and respond to the church and society.
The EIWTS has held various seminars and conferences on Women Theological Studies and has released periodicals since 1995. “The publishing and education schemes are important projects of our institute. The series that we publish are supplied both in and out of the country and seminars on the topic of women issues are held for women form all over the world to take part. We also invite great scholars form the world to educate and lead discussions on various topics related to the Bible and women perspectives in theology,” said Lee.

 

 

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