"Free Towels for Men, 500 Won for Women"... NHRCK Rules It "Gender Discrimination"

The National Human Rights Commission of Korea (NHRCK) has ruled that the practice of public bathhouses charging separate fees for towels and soap exclusively to female customers is discriminatory and violates the right to equality.

According to the NHRCK, a complainant, A, visited a public bathhouse in the North Gyeongsang region in September of last year and found that while towels and soap were provided free of charge to male customers, female customers were charged 500 won per towel and 700 won for disposable soap.

A filed a complaint with the NHRCK, arguing that this was a discriminatory operational practice.

In response, the bathhouse argued, "This was an inevitable measure considering business losses resulting from the repurchase of supplies, as towels provided to female bathers are frequently lost."

It also explained that under the Public Health Control Act, bathhouses are under no obligation to provide supplies for free, and that other businesses nationwide operate similarly.

As a result of an investigation by the NHRCK's Discrimination Remedy Committee, 22 out of 27 businesses within the jurisdiction were indeed charging female customers an average of 500 won per towel separately.

The NHRCK pointed out, "Even assuming the recovery rate of towels and soap is relatively low in the women's bath, this is merely a problem caused by some users, and forcing all female customers to bear additional costs is a measure based on gender stereotypes or generalization."

It also noted that to prevent business losses, other alternatives could be considered, such as charging a deposit when renting towels or installing wall-mounted shared soap in the facilities.

Therefore, the commission concluded that uniformly charging only female customers additional fees is a discriminatory act that infringes upon the right to equality.

The NHRCK recommended that the owner of the business rectify the practice and advised the head of the local government, the mayor, to strengthen administrative guidance to prevent similar cases.

(File Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.