Science and Technology Community Controversy: "Supporting Career Return Only for Women is Reverse Discrimination" [Reading Science]

Support Regardless of Gender Overseas, Only Women Included in Korea
"Science and Technology Workforce Securing and Retention Should Be Addressed Comprehensively"

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-su] "These days, as more men take parental and childcare leave, why are career return programs only supported for women?"

The phenomenon of career discontinuity, or the "leaky pipeline," where promising scientists leave their careers due to childbirth and childcare, has traditionally been considered a problem only for female researchers. However, younger generations show an increasing number of male researchers changing careers after having children, highlighting the need for support policies regardless of gender.

According to the Ministry of Science and ICT on the 26th, the career discontinuity caused by childbirth and childcare among STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) personnel has recently been spreading regardless of gender.

Previously, career discontinuity was mainly known to affect women. Especially in STEM fields, where rapid technological innovation and intensive labor and research are required, balancing work and family life is most challenging. Once a career is interrupted due to childbirth or childcare, it is highly likely that the individual will not return or will be permanently excluded.

Recently, this career discontinuity issue has appeared not only among female but also male researchers. According to a study in the United States, over the past eight years, 23% of male researchers in STEM fields left full-time STEM jobs after the birth of their first child. For women, the figure was 43%. A survey of STEM graduates in Canada from 2006 to 2016 showed that although men were more employed in this field, younger individuals had higher dropout rates, especially those with bachelor's degrees compared to master's degree holders.

In other words, regardless of gender, younger people are experiencing career discontinuity or leaving STEM fields for non-STEM fields, and this trend intensifies after having the first child. This is spreading among both men and women, especially due to the influx of the MZ generation and changes in living and working environments caused by COVID-19.

Accordingly, companies and other countries such as the United States are implementing support programs for all career interrupters regardless of gender. Japan, also in Asia, is a representative example, providing support to both women and men researchers who have stopped research due to childbirth and childcare through the "Special Researcher RPD System."

However, in Korea, support is limited only to "women" under the "Act on the Promotion of Economic Activities of Career-Interrupted Women," and those who have interrupted their careers due to personal health reasons other than pregnancy, childbirth, or family care are not included. While other countries require a minimum career period for returnees, Korea is criticized for providing support even without prior economic activity experience.

A science and technology official pointed out, "The difference in these policies seems to stem from the fact that most career discontinuity problems were experienced by female personnel, so policies were established targeting women only. However, looking at overseas cases and recent changes in the MZ generation's awareness and emphasis on work-life balance, career return programs should no longer be limited to women but approached comprehensively from the perspective of securing and retaining scientific and technological personnel."