With the year 2020 just days away, people are starting to look for changes such as lifestyle, relationship, and goal. The South Korean government is looking for some changes as well and is carrying some of them out as soon as the clock strikes midnight on January 1st of 2020. Among all the new policies, the legalization of both maternity and paternity leave seems to be the most ordinary yet the most extraordinary one.
Originally, the mother and father of a child could not have parental leave at the same time. The mother would get 80% of her income on the first three months of maternity leave, and the father would get 100% of his income on the first three months of paternity leave. However, starting in February 2020, both parents can have paid parental leave at the same time. Both parents would get 80% of their income on the first three months of their parental leave, which is less than the initial amount.
What are the advantages of parental leave anyway? First of all, parental leave has an economic effect on the family. It is commonly thought that parental leave decreases family income. Since childcare requires a lot of expenditures, people tend to separate economic responsibility and domestic responsibility between the two parents. Surprisingly, paid parental leave benefits families economically. A study conducted by OECD found that in countries allowing more than 24 weeks of paid parental leave, women contributed a higher proportion to household income. Other studies of OECD countries find that more equitable parental leave policies are associated with a lower risk of poverty among families. Being economically stable can help reduce the child’s exposure to harmful environments, thus affecting the physical and mental development of the child positively.
Moreover, it helps to alleviate stress from both of the parents. With the increasing participation of women in labor forces, it is almost inevitable for women to have maternity leave. Since the mother of a child usually starts her maternity leave first, it would not be allowed for the father to have his paternity leave, which would result in the mother baring all the responsibilities of childcare. This often leads to women’s mental health issues such as maternal depression. On the other hand, the father of a child would not have much time to bond with his child due to his work. Considering that childhood is the most important stage for creating an attachment to a child’s closed ones, a lack of interaction with one’s parent may bring in discord within the family in later life. With a consistent amount of income provided for the family, the father would not have to worry about his work and instead solely focus on his child. The mother would be able to share the responsibilities of childcare with the father, which would be better for her mental health.
In conclusion, parental leave of both mother and father helps the family in the economic aspect and health aspect. The phrase “the more the merrier” truly works in this context - the more time parents spend on their child, the merrier the family will be!
by Soo Min Ko
