Al Jazeera Podcasts.

Today, a backlash to feminism in South Korea.

We're getting blamed for the economic downfall.

They're thinking that men are not having enough job opportunities because women are entering

workforce earlier.

From male suicides to low birth rates, why women are facing the blame while fighting for their own

rights.

I'm Malika Bilal and this is The Take.

My name is Haynes Shim.

I'm a freelance journalist and a documentary producer specializing in women's rights issues in South Korea.

It's really good to have you on the take, Hayne. Thanks for being here.

Thank you. Let's start with something that's been sparking criticism inside South Korea.

Some comments made by a city counselor in Seoul about a rise in male suicide attempts. What did he say that was controversial?

So South Korea has one of the highest suicide rates

and one of the worst gender equality among OECD nations.

And then the recently South City Council member Kim Kydok

made a dangerous and outdated argument

that increased presence of women in the

workforce has made it harder for men to find jobs and partners, basically suggesting that

South Korea is becoming a quote-unquote female dominant society, which he believes might contribute to the rise in male suicide

attempts.

And blaming the rising, you know, male suicide rates on women's increasing participation in the workforce,

...