A series of studies in South Korea have found that the burden of childcare primarily falling on women harms the country’s birthrate. On May 27, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) published a “Focus” report on South Korea and Japan, highlighting women’s issues such as delayed promotions and unequal distribution of housework after marriage and childbirth. As a result, late marriage and delayed childbirth have become common, significantly affecting the decline in birth rates.
IMF pointed out that in South Korea and Japan, women perform five times as much unpaid housework and caregiving as men, and analyzed that the social norms of both countries place a burden on women.
They also noted that due to labor market segmentation, many female workers are in low-paid temporary or part-time jobs, and work methods, including long working hours and restrictions on remote work, are not family-friendly.
In response, the IMF suggested promoting job mobility to support opportunities for women’s employment and career growth. They also proposed expanding childcare facilities and incentives for husbands to take paternity leave to increase the men’s participation in childcare and expanding remote work and flexible working hours.
The IMF believes that the increase in women’s economic participation has contributed to economic growth and that narrowing the gender gap and changing cultural norms can help reverse the decline in birthrates.
The IMF emphasized, “If South Korea can reduce the gender gap in working hours to the OECD average by 2035, it can increase GDP per capita by 18%,” and “Women in South Korea and Japan can contribute significantly to the economy and society by pursuing careers that give them a sense of achievement while also raising a family.”
The Korea Development Institute (KDI) has also released an analysis showing that the child penalty, which is represented by employment disadvantages such as career interruptions, accounts for about 40% of the reasons for the decline in birthrates from 2013 to 2019.
According to the study, the average rate of career interruption among women in their 30s has steadily decreased, but this is mainly concentrated among women without children. The reason is analyzed to be that childcare and caregiving in South Korea are heavily leaned towards women.
According to the OECD and KDI, South Korea’s ratio of unpaid labor time for men compared to women, which indicates men’s participation in housework, is only 23%, the third lowest after Japan (18%) and Turkey (22%). The OECD average is 52%, more than double that of South Korea.
