Why I Decided to Become a 'Latte Papa'

Stories of Dads Starting Their Second Act as 'Latte Papa'
"Creating Opportunities to Understand Both Children and Spouses Through Parenting"

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyunjung] "If life is divided into Act 1 and Act 2, the start of parenting can be considered Act 2. Until now, I lived as a husband and father in name only, but by taking parental leave, I was able to become a real husband and a real father." "I had many worries and fears before deciding to take parental leave. I wondered what would happen to my position at work, thought that parental leave was naturally something women do, and questioned how a father could raise a 3-month-old baby. Perhaps these thoughts were deeply ingrained inside me... I believe that the workplace culture and awareness encouraging parental leave were decisive in making my decision."

Riding the wave of government improvements to the parental leave system and changing social attitudes, the number of 'Latte Papas'?fathers who take leave and directly engage in childcare?is rapidly increasing. Although women still make up four out of five parental leave takers, the old social norm that viewed childcare after marriage, pregnancy, and childbirth as "women's work only" is disappearing. Particularly noteworthy are the positive testimonials from those who say parental leave has had a beneficial impact on family bonds and relationships between spouses and other family members.

According to the Ministry of Employment and Labor on the 26th, the number of men taking parental leave last year was 22,297, a 26.2% increase from the previous year (17,665). The total number of parental leave takers also rose by 6% to 105,165. This is the first time that the total number of parental leave takers and male parental leave takers each exceeded 100,000 and 20,000, respectively. The proportion of men among all parental leave takers has been rapidly increasing every year. It was only 5.6% in 2015, then rose to 8.5% in 2016, 13.4% in 2017, 17.8% in 2018, and last year reached 21.2%, surpassing 20% for the first time.

Those who have experienced parental leave express satisfaction in various aspects. Mr. A, who began considering parental leave after his wife gave birth to their second child and returned to work, said he made the big decision after encouragement from the company's first male parental leave taker. Mr. A said, "At first, I simply thought, 'I'll have more personal time, and since work has been tough, I'll take time to recharge.' But once I was actually involved, I found I had even less time than when I was working." He added, "I felt sorry for not being able to say a warm word to my wife, who had been struggling alone all this time."

Mr. B described parental leave as the opening of Act 2 in his life. He said, "Sometimes I think parenting is harder than military service, but when my child smiles even once, the fatigue disappears and a profound emotion wells up in my heart." He emphasized, "If I hadn't taken parental leave, I would have missed the joy of small moments like my child using their tiny hand to put a pacifier in their mouth." He also said, "Sharing the experience of childbirth and parenting with my wife has led us to spend more time talking and increased our mutual consideration."

Mr. C felt a sense of fulfillment in becoming a true family by personally caring for his two children attending elementary school and kindergarten. He explained, "The greatest joy is not just watching the children but spending time together and accompanying them." Mr. C said, "We eat the meals I prepare together, go to academies together, and talk about what happened at school and kindergarten. Sometimes we skip academy without mom knowing, go to Everland, visit art galleries and museums, so there are secrets mom doesn't know." He especially noted, "Even if it's just for three months, taking care of the children entirely on your own helps you understand the children, but also realize how difficult it is for the spouse who takes care of the children. Honestly, you don't really understand unless you experience it yourself, no matter how many times you hear about it."

Mr. D laughed, saying he gained an irreplaceable presence in the family. He said, "I thought babies always say 'mom' first when they start talking, but that wasn't the case." He added, "I boasted to my wife so much when our child first said 'dad.'" He explained, "There is no household task that doesn't go through my hands. It seems that my presence has become more certain and the family is happier because my wife and both children look for only their dad."

Meanwhile, the government plans to implement a system next month that allows couples to take parental leave simultaneously. Additionally, it aims to increase parental leave pay for single-parent workers in the first half of this year and is preparing measures to provide retroactive parental leave pay for workers who involuntarily leave their jobs (due to business closure, bankruptcy, etc.).