Critics say change in work culture is required
By Lee Kyung-min
The government has announced another set of measures to tackle the nation's low birthrate.
However, doubt remains over the efficacy of the new 64 billion-won ($57 million) budget measures, as the downward trend will not change unless an overhaul of family-unfriendly corporate culture is carried out.
The Ministry of Health and Welfare rolled out the measures, Thursday, only about half a year after it had announced other measures. It came as the number of newborns between January and May decreased to 182,000, down by 10,000, or 5.3 percent, from the same period a year earlier _ suggesting that earlier measures had failed. In particular, the number of newborns in May was 34,400, the lowest monthly figure since the data began to be compiled in 2000.
Under the new measures, all subfertile couples will be eligible to receive 1 million won per fertility treatment, such as artificial insemination, on up to three occasions regardless of their income. So far, high-income couples, meaning households with monthly income surpassing 5.83 million won, have been excluded from any government support.
The measure is expected to benefit 96,000 people, almost double the 50,000 who are currently undergoing fertility treatments. Last year, 4.4 percent of all babies were born through such means.
Starting July 2017, the government will also increase the monthly payment for fathers taking paternity leave for a second child to 2 million won from the current 1.5 million won for the first three months. The fathers can take the leave for up to one year.
The measure is to encourage more fathers to participate in childrearing. According to a study by the Ministry of Employment and Labor, fathers accounted for only 5.6 percent of parental leaves last year.
The government will also prioritize double-income households with three children or more for admittance of their children to daycare centers. Some 60,000 such households will also be given priority in applying for state-built housing.
However, critics say introducing more new measures will not be enough to encourage couples to have more babies, and the government should focus on changing the social environment where employers discourage workers from taking childcare leave and force employees to work late.
"Even now, fathers can take paternity leave according to the law. What prevents them from doing so is corporate culture, where taking the leave means the fathers would face disadvantages in evaluations, promotions and other future work," said an office worker in Seoul who has a five-year-old daughter.
In that sense, Health Minister Chung Chin-youb issued an appeal to the private sector.
"Employers, please make a workplace where workers can take childbirth and childcare leave freely and spend more time with their families," he said. "Corporate culture should become family-friendly so that employees can maintain a healthy work-family balance. Family culture should also become more gender equal."
By Lee Kyung-min
The government has announced another set of measures to tackle the nation's low birthrate.
However, doubt remains over the efficacy of the new 64 billion-won ($57 million) budget measures, as the downward trend will not change unless an overhaul of family-unfriendly corporate culture is carried out.
The Ministry of Health and Welfare rolled out the measures, Thursday, only about half a year after it had announced other measures. It came as the number of newborns between January and May decreased to 182,000, down by 10,000, or 5.3 percent, from the same period a year earlier _ suggesting that earlier measures had failed. In particular, the number of newborns in May was 34,400, the lowest monthly figure since the data began to be compiled in 2000.
Under the new measures, all subfertile couples will be eligible to receive 1 million won per fertility treatment, such as artificial insemination, on up to three occasions regardless of their income. So far, high-income couples, meaning households with monthly income surpassing 5.83 million won, have been excluded from any government support.
The measure is expected to benefit 96,000 people, almost double the 50,000 who are currently undergoing fertility treatments. Last year, 4.4 percent of all babies were born through such means.
Starting July 2017, the government will also increase the monthly payment for fathers taking paternity leave for a second child to 2 million won from the current 1.5 million won for the first three months. The fathers can take the leave for up to one year.
The measure is to encourage more fathers to participate in childrearing. According to a study by the Ministry of Employment and Labor, fathers accounted for only 5.6 percent of parental leaves last year.
The government will also prioritize double-income households with three children or more for admittance of their children to daycare centers. Some 60,000 such households will also be given priority in applying for state-built housing.
However, critics say introducing more new measures will not be enough to encourage couples to have more babies, and the government should focus on changing the social environment where employers discourage workers from taking childcare leave and force employees to work late.
"Even now, fathers can take paternity leave according to the law. What prevents them from doing so is corporate culture, where taking the leave means the fathers would face disadvantages in evaluations, promotions and other future work," said an office worker in Seoul who has a five-year-old daughter.
In that sense, Health Minister Chung Chin-youb issued an appeal to the private sector.
"Employers, please make a workplace where workers can take childbirth and childcare leave freely and spend more time with their families," he said. "Corporate culture should become family-friendly so that employees can maintain a healthy work-family balance. Family culture should also become more gender equal."
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