Raising children in Korea
On Jan. 19, the two main parties rolled out two birthrate-boosting strategies that are aimed squarely at raising Korea’s dire population trajectory. Statistics Korea revealed that the fertility rate in 2023 reached a record low of 0.75, a decline from 0.78 recorded a year earlier. The bleak record will inevitably weigh on Korean society and economy in the long run. To contain this, the government has continuously introduced a series of childbirth incentives, paternity leave benefits and all sorts of welfare programs for newborn babies and their parents.
Creating an environment to encourage people to have children and lessen the burden on new parents is highly commendable. But as a Korean mother currently raising two schoolchildren, I am somewhat discontent with the existing childcare programs. I find childrearing in Korea extremely challenging, unless you are guaranteed to get help from someone else, such as grandparents or a babysitter. Although I am very positive about children, I could not genuinely recommend anyone to become a parent owing to the harsh circumstances of raising a child.
Bringing up children gets harder once they start school. My youngest child is going into first grade in March. Just like other mothers with a child of the same age, I am now seeking the best way to support him while also working an office job. When I was a stayat-home mother a few years ago, I could fully care for my eldest child when he first entered school. But things are different this year because I do have a job now. Figuring out ways to support him after school is a major source of stress. The biggest issue with first graders is the short school day, which ends before one o’clock.
First graders are too young to return home by themselves and leaving them home unattended is an awful idea. After-school classes offered by a school can be an option. But only a handful of classes run every day and 5-day classes are very competitive to get enrolled in. The school my children attend offers only one class running for 5 days. What about a daycare program supervised by a school? It depends on how a school operates. In the case of the school my children go to, the limited space causes intense competition. Hence, the odds of me being able to take advantage of the program seem slim.
Apparently, many parents who have failed to benefit from school programs end up resorting to private institutes or hagwon. Maybe turning to these is the easiest way to assist first graders. This is why there are scores of yellow vans lining up in front of the school gate when the school bell rings. Not many alternatives are available for parents.
Most governmental strategies are too narrowly focused on pushing up the birthrate. Yet, I opine this would not fundamentally address the low childbirth. Solid childcare welfare should be established further to make the lives of parents more pleasant. Every effort will ultimately change the perspectives of prospective parents and make them increasingly more favorable to parenting.