십대/여성 정책의 도전과 과제 - 적극적 조치, 실질적 평등의 관점을 중심으로

Challenges and Tasks of the Policies on Teenage Women: Focusing on Affirmative Action and Substantial Equality

&nbsp;&nbsp;본 논문은 이제까지 진행되어 온 십대여성 관련 정책이 ‘청소년 성보호’라는 특정한 이슈로만 다루어져 왔을 뿐, 중요한 정책 대상으로 접근되지 않았다는 문제의식에서 출발하여, 십대/여성 정책의 필요성, 목표와 내용 그리고 방향성을 타진해 보고자 했다.<BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;먼저, 적극적 조치의 관점에서 볼 때, 십대/여성은 성별직종분리, 여성차별적인 사회통념을 변화시키기 위한 효과적인 전략 범주라는 점에서 성 주류화를 위한 ‘특별한 고려’의 대상으로 상정될 필요가 있다 한편, 십대/여성 정책은 시민권을 갖지 못한 ‘십대’라는 시기의 차별을 문제 삼는다는 점에서 열악한 인권을 우선적으로 고려하는 복지적 접근을 요구한다. 그러나 그것이 잔여주의적이고, 성인중심적인 ‘보호’ 정책으로 한정될 때, 새로운 도전은 불가능하다. 성매매, 가출, 임신, 약물 등 문제가 되는 개별 사안에 치우치기보다는 일관적이며 통합적인 관점이 필요하다. 기존의 ‘소극적ㆍ방어적 접근’에서 ‘적극적ㆍ긍정적 접근’으로의 전환이 요구되는 것이다.<BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;따라서 십대/여성 정책은 ‘성(평등) 민감성’, ‘다른 사회적 정체성에 대한 고려’, ‘십대/여성의 참여와 공유’라는 통합된 관점이 정책 개발단계에서 시행, 평가에 이르기까지 일관적으로 녹아있어야 할 것이다. 한편 십대들의 ‘목소리’를 억누르는 서열과 위계질서를 성찰하고 다양한 차이들을 고려할 때, 십대/여성 정책은 평등사회를 위한 새로운 도전이 될 것이다.

&nbsp;&nbsp;This thesis is based on the problem that issues revolving around teenage women have been dealt with only within the limited context of "protecting adolescent sexuality." This study is thus designed not only to argue the necessity of specific policies targeting teenage women but to discuss policy missions, direction, contents, and challenges.<BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;Taking the affirmative action perspective, teenage women as a target of the policy need to be redefined as the object of "differential consideration," in light of changing the generally accepted notion rooted in sexism and occupational gender segregation. Meanwhile, we also need to recognize the fact that the teenage women policy should be engaged with a social welfare perspective on human rights, noting the fact that teenage women have been discriminated against based on their age, being denied their citizenship as members of a society. However, it is crucial to take into account that this policy should be challenged due to the form it has maintatined: protective, adult-centric, and residual. The experiences and issues that teenage women have are intrinsically linked instead of being fragmented. Thus there needs to be an integrated viewpoint which adopts the notion that issues such as adolescent prostitution, teenage runaway, pregnancy, and substance abuse are interlocking and interrelated. To achieve substantial equality, we should allow a "positive/progressive approach" to emerge instead of a "negative/regressive approach."<BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;Accordingly, teenage women policies are required to fully incorporate relevant perspectives including gender (equality) awareness, differential consideration of alternative social identities, and participation and sharing of teenage women, throughout the process of making and implementing the policy. In addition, recognizing the limits of the policy which has mainly focused on the wellbeing of adults, not teenage women, the policy on teenage women should alternatively stand for the "ethics of relationships" between adults and teenagers. By reflecting on various differences among teenage women as well as reconsidering the hierarchy which makes the voice of teenage women unheard, only then can the policy take a new level of challenging the present condition of teenage women and their human rights as the underprivileged.