6 Interview results - three interviewees

• Interview start date: 1st of February 2020

I've interviewed with four of feminists and women who've experienced maternity discrimination in South Korea via email.

Hye Kyung Lim (40) - 3rd of February

My first interviewee was Hye Kyung Lim (40) who studied Gender & Sexuality master's degree at Ewha Woman's University in South Korea. She used to be a teacher at a public school but currently not working.

Q1: Name / Gender / Age

A1: Hye Kyung Lim (40) / Female / Gender & Sexuality master's degree at Ewha Woman's University / Formal teacher at public school / Mom of two children

Q2: Have you seen the 'Birth Map' which has created by the South Korean government? If you saw it, how did you feel about the campaign and what do you think about it?

A2: Yes, I've seen the Birth Map before. I convinced that the South Korean government objectifies women's body as a tool of manpower of the country. I agree with the birthrate and manpower are the critical power of society but strongly disagreed the way of thinking in creating the childbirth promotion campaign in our society in terms of illustrating women as a baby-making machine.

Q3: Why do you think previous childbirth promotion campaigns in South Korean have been unsuccessful?

A3: The child-care policies of Korea seem financially helpful for caring children but young women realised that keeping their career or position of society is almost impossible as a mom as they been through the highly competitive and hard process to get a job and keeping the job requires long working hours and perfect devotion.

The young generation in Korea prefer to choose to keep their career instead of making family because young women in Korea no longer follow the traditional norm, 'women should have children and devote of husband and family'.

Q4: Why do you think women are afraid to have children and announce their pregnancy in their company?

A4: Most of the women in Korea have fears for losing their job or take a lower position at work from pregnancy as companies in Korea quickly replace the employees who can't work a long time and devote to the company to new employees. Also, most of the young married couples are not affordable to take care of even one child as child-care policies in Korea are applied to everyone but only married couple who are from a low-income background.

Q5: Have you experienced maternity discrimination or heard about it?

A5: I was lucky as I worked in a public school as a teacher and could get flexible maternity leave when I had my children. People who work as officials can get paid maternity leave without any conflictions or frustration at work. However, most of my friends who worked at big companies had to leave their job after having maternity leave as the companies gave them a lower position or give them uncomfortable situations. Some of my friends left their job during they are pregnant as their companies had no paid maternity leave.

Q6: What would be the most effective policies/systems/campaigns to promote childbirth in South Korea?

A6: I think all of the companies should offer a paid maternity leave which guarantees the employee can keep their position when they are back to the company. Also, child-care policies and benefits have to be applied to everyone no matter their income or job position as current child-care policies are not applied to only people from a low-income background. Additionally, the government could learn from the child-care policies of Sweden and Denmark even though those countries have a different context of the work environment and tax system as they are managing birth rate well with stable welfare. Lastly, making more public day-care centre or local nurseries where parents can trust will be an effective way to promote childbirth as well.

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Si Hyun Kang (52) - 3rd of February

Q1: Name / Gender / Age

A1: Si Hyun Kang / Female / 52 / Women's Studies master's degree at Ewha Woman's University / Current gender equality trainer at Public institutions / Mom of one child

Q2: Have you seen the 'Birth Map' which has created by the South Korean government? If you saw it, how did you feel about the campaign and what do you think about it?

A2: Yes, I was very upset about that the government illustrated women like livestock. I think the role of government in dealing with a low birth rate should be analysing the fundamental factor of low birth rate and improve the current system which causes women's fears of having children. If the government stop making women guilty about they are not having children, women will be more against to government's childbirth promotion campaigns.

Q3: Why do you think previous childbirth promotion campaigns in South Korean have been unsuccessful?

A3: Even though women try their best to keep their career while they take care of family, there will be burnout as housework and childcare are still women's work in Korean society. As a result, most of the women are afraid of having children, and choose to having only one child.

Q4: Why do you think women are afraid to have children and announce their pregnancy in their company?

A4: High education cost is one of the main factors of low birth rate. Apart from college and university fees, Korean parents spend a lot of money in private academy and tutoring for their children.

Also, young people in South Korea have been through the most competitive and suppressed school days in the world. Naturally, they want to enjoy free and indepandent life after graduation.

Most importantly, young women have seen how their moms have lived as women and moms, suffring from the typical gender role at work, home and society. Young women don't want to live differnetly from their moms' life.

Q5: Have you experienced maternity discrimination or heard about it?

A5: I've been experience it. When I was at previouse work, one of my coworkers told me it's unfair that women get a paid maternity leave and they should leave forever from the work and focus on taking care of family. Also, When I was pregranant, I had to go to a hospital for a regular check in working time but no one helps me to make a time to go to the hospital. Somtimes, I had to lie to go. The most unforgetable story is that I had to leave my sick child at home alone as I had no choice but go to work with my broken heart.

Q6: What would be the most effective policies/systems/campaigns to promote childbirth in South Korea?

A6: Mandatory gender equlaity taining in the workplace is required to change people's attitude towards pregant women or working moms. Society and company need to be aware that taking care of children requires a lot of support from others. Long working hours and exclusive work environment should be changed as well. Free public day-care centres with trustworthy nursery staffs and less competitive education system are also the main key to promote birth rate.

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Yong Hee Kim (54) - 4th of February

Q1: Name / Gender / Age

A1: Yong Hee Kim (54) / Female / Formal dean of homeschooling community / Sexual health educator / Mom of three children

Q2: Have you seen the 'Birth Map' which has created by the South Korean government? If you saw it, how did you feel about the campaign and what do you think about it?

A2: Yes, I have. I was upset and confused about the fact the government classified 15-40-year-old women by pregnancy status without a respectful attitude. The way of describing women in the birth map website was like counting livestock or machine.

Q3: Why do you think previous childbirth promotion campaigns in South Korean have been unsuccessful?

A3: First of all, young people have found finding a stable job very difficult even though they graduated from top-class university in South Korea. Most of the young people in modern society live with their parents to save rent and they feel difficult to have own house which is important to have their own family. The South Korean government has offered maternity grant but it is not a sustainable way to promote childbirth as the education cost is way too high in Korea. Most importantly, married women who are working hard outside as their husband are have covered most of the housework and child care and it comes to the biggest fear to young women who didn't get married yet.

Q4: Why do you think women are afraid to have children and announce their pregnancy in their company?

A4: There is no guarantee to come back to work from maternity leave in most of the companies in South Korea. Working moms spend most of the free time to find daycares centres and babysitters and it's hard to find the one. Maternity discrimination at work and gender inequality at home have made women avoid marriage and pregnancy. Also, some people think our society is not safe to raise children in terms of environmental pollution and crime against children.

Q5: Have you experienced maternity discrimination or heard about it?

A5: I had maternity leave for two times at my previous job and when I was pregnant my third child, my boss secretly called me and suggested abortion. I was also scared of having three children but I was very shocked and upset that my boss asked about it. I've quit my job to give birth and focus on taking chare of my children as it seems almost impossible to have third maternity leave and come back to work.

Q6: What would be the most effective policies/systems/campaigns to promote childbirth in South Korea?

A6: Building public daycare centre and nursery at work would be a part of an effective childcare system. Also, the government should force companies to guarantee to have mandatory maternity leave to both men and women like Norway and Sweden do. Lastly, gender equality education for all generation is required as gender inequality has led to a low birth rate in South Korea.

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Sun Hee Kim () - of February

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