"One in Four Parental Leave Takers in the First Half of This Year Are Men... Surpassing 30,000 by Year-End"

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bo-kyung] In the first half of this year, one out of every four parental leave takers in the private sector was male.

The Ministry of Employment and Labor announced in a press release on the 13th that as of June, the number of male parental leave takers in private companies increased by 34.1% compared to the same month last year, reaching 14,857.

The proportion of men among all parental leave takers has been rising every year, reaching 24.7% in the first half of this year. This means that one out of every four parental leave takers is male.

This data is based on recipients of parental leave benefits and does not include those not enrolled in employment insurance, such as public officials and teachers.

An official from the Ministry of Employment and Labor stated, "The number of male parental leave takers surpassed 20,000 for the first time last year and has continued to rise in the first half of this year. It is expected to exceed 30,000 by the end of this year."

The increase in male parental leave takers is analyzed to be due to the widespread 'shared caregiving culture.'

In particular, the spread of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) seems to have encouraged workers to actively utilize related systems to address childcare issues such as school delays.

The total number of parental leave takers in the private sector in the first half of this year was 60,205, a 12.5% increase compared to the same month last year.

The proportion of parental leave takers in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with fewer than 300 employees has steadily increased every year, reaching 55.8%. As of June, it was 52.9% in 2018 and 54.1% last year.

The number of SME workers taking parental leave was 33,604, a 16.1% increase compared to the same month last year, with 6,444 of them being men, a 35.6% increase.

Meanwhile, the 'Dad Parental Leave Bonus System' also saw a significant rise, with 7,388 users in the first half of this year, a 52.8% increase compared to 4,834 in the same month last year.

The Dad Parental Leave Bonus System is a program where, if both parents take parental leave for the same child, the second parent to take leave receives 100% of their ordinary wage (up to 2.5 million KRW per month) for the first three months of parental leave.

The number of users of the 'Reduced Working Hours During Childcare Period' also increased rapidly, reaching 7,784, a 182.1% increase compared to 2,759 in the same month last year.

Workers with children aged 8 or younger can reduce their working hours by 1 to 5 hours per day, and the government supports part of the wage reduction through the 'Reduced Working Hours During Childcare Period Allowance.'