Seoul criticized for sexist tips to pregnant women
Before giving birth, check that your family has sufficient toilet paper. Prepare readymade meals for your husband, who surely “is not good at cooking.” Tie up your hair, “so that you don’t look disheveled” even as you go without a bath. And after the baby arrives, keep a “smallsize” dress in sight — you’ll need motivation not to take that extra bite.
These words of advice, offered to pregnant women by the authorities in Seoul, have created a backlash in South Korea, where the government can ill afford to fumble as it desperately tries to compel women to have more babies and reverse the world’s lowest birthrate.
The pregnancy guidelines were first published on a government website in 2019. But they caught the attention of the public only in recent days, causing an outcry on social media, where people said they reflected outmoded views that persist in segments of the deeply patriarchal society and petitioned for their removal.
Yong Hyein, an activist and politician, said that under the guidelines, a woman’s childrearing responsibilities were doubled by having to care for her husband too. A better tactic for those married to men incapable of doing things like throwing away rotting food, Yong wrote on Twitter, would be divorce.
Experts called the government’s advice a missed opportunity.
“I think it is written by someone who never gave birth,” said Dr. Kim Jaeyean, chairman of the Korean Association of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.
He added that the government should have provided practical advice on issues like breastfeeding.
A petition started online last week, which has been signed by more than 21,000 people, called for a public apology from officials, as well as disciplinary action against those who released the guidelines.
In an email to the New York Times, the public health division of the Seoul city government said it felt “responsible for not reviewing and monitoring the contents, approved at the time, thoroughly and closely.” It said that it would review its online content and improve gender sensitivity training for all municipal employees.
While the most offensive parts of the guidelines have been removed, some of the advice remains online, and screenshots of the original text continue to circulate on social media.
“Why are we looking for the cause of the low birthrate from far away? It’s right here,” wrote one person on Twitter. Another said women were infuriated by the rules: “Who made this guideline? There are lots of things to be corrected.”
Although South Korea has become an economic and cultural powerhouse, many women still experience misogyny in very practical terms.
According to a 2017 report by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, the gender pay gap in South Korea is the highest among its 37 member countries. Working women earn nearly 40% less than men, and many stop working when they have children, often pressured by their families and workplaces.