Record High 'Latte Papa' in First Half of This Year... One in Four Parental Leave Takers Is a 'Dad'

14,857 People Took Parental Leave in the First Half of This Year, a 34.1% Increase from Last Year
Accounting for 24.6% of All Leave Takers
Experts: "Institutional Improvements and Increased Care Demand Due to COVID-19 Have Created an Encouraging Atmosphere for Taking Leave"

[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyunjung] It has been found that one in four childcare leave takers in the first half of this year was male. Despite the increased instability in the job market due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the culture of shared childcare between men and women is accelerating and solidifying its foundation. In fact, social unexpected factors such as increased demand for care due to COVID-19 and institutional improvements by the government, including the raising of the childcare leave pay cap, have combined to serve as an employment safety net.

According to the Ministry of Employment and Labor on the 27th, the number of male childcare leave takers in the first half of this year was 14,857, a 34.1% surge compared to the same period last year (11,081), marking an all-time high. This is a remarkable figure even when compared to the overall number of childcare leave takers, which increased by 12.5% from 53,493 to 60,206 during the same period.

The proportion of males among all childcare leave takers also set a new record at 24.6%, surpassing last year's highest figure of 21.2%. This means that one in four childcare leave takers was male. This proportion increased by 3.4 percentage points compared to last year and nearly doubled compared to 2017 (13.4%). If this trend continues, the number of male childcare leave takers, which exceeded 20,000 for the first time last year, is likely to approach 30,000 this year.

About ten years ago, in 2009, the number of male childcare leave takers was only 502 annually, making them a rare sight. Although the birth rate was higher then (1.1) than the recent level of about 0.9, the overall number of childcare leave takers was only around 35,000, indicating that the culture of taking childcare leave had not yet been properly established.

However, recently, the government has been encouraging male childcare leave by implementing various institutional improvements to promote gender employment equality and shared childcare culture, leading to a significant change in atmosphere. First, from February 28 this year, the Enforcement Decree of the Act on Gender Equality in Employment and Work-Family Balance was revised to allow parents to take childcare leave simultaneously for the same child, and in such cases, childcare leave pay is provided to both parents. The monthly payment cap for childcare leave pay under the Dad Childcare Leave Bonus System, which allows the second person taking childcare leave for the same child (usually the father) to receive pay for the first three months, was raised from 2 million KRW to 2.5 million KRW in January last year.

Experts diagnose that the surge in male childcare leave takers this year is the result of the special situation of COVID-19 combined with the government's institutional support. Kim Nanju, Associate Research Fellow at the Women's Labor Research Center of the Korean Women's Development Institute, said, "Institutional support continues, and due to the COVID-19 situation this year, companies have become more lenient in accepting childcare leave, even encouraging unpaid leave," adding, "Regardless of the reason, the increase in the number and proportion of male childcare leave takers is a positive phenomenon in terms of childcare experience." She further noted, "Although there are still many shortcomings in terms of opportunity and balance, the childcare leave system itself can be seen as being built as part of the employment safety net."