Although Paternity Leave Has Increased... "Company Atmosphere Still Dominates"

The Number of Men Taking Parental Leave Continues to Rise
Fathers Who Took Parental Leave Say "Personal Courage Is Needed"
Smaller Companies Find Leave More Difficult
"Company-Level Solutions Must Be Presented Together"

[Asia Economy Reporter Seoyul Hwang] #Office worker Kim Youngjin (40) is on parental leave and has been traveling abroad with his elementary school child since the end of December last year. Although he was worried because of his busy work, his wife had already used one year of parental leave, and there was no suitable person to take care of the child during the winter vacation period, so he had no choice but to apply for parental leave. Fortunately, Kim's department head considered his situation and allowed him to apply relatively easily. However, considering the busy work situation, Kim did not use the full maximum leave period of one year and only applied for three months, the child's vacation period. Kim said, "I think many people still do not understand when men take parental leave," adding, "The possibility of using parental leave still depends on the company atmosphere."

Although the proportion of men taking parental leave is increasing every year, many still hesitate to apply due to 'company pressure.' The social perception that childcare is a woman's responsibility and the fear of disadvantages after returning to work act as major obstacles preventing employees from confidently requesting parental leave at work. Especially, the smaller the company size, the lower the utilization rate of parental leave.

According to the Ministry of Employment and Labor on the 31st, the total number of parental leave takers last year was 131,087, of which men accounted for 28.9% (37,885). The proportion of men taking parental leave has steadily increased from 21.2% in 2019 to 24.5% in 2020 and 26.3% in 2021. It is expected to surpass 30% this year.

Although the statistics show an increase in the proportion of men taking parental leave, it still takes considerable courage for men to actually apply for it. Yoon (37), who works in finance, started his leave this month after his wife used up her parental leave and is spending all day with his child. He made this choice based on the judgment that it is better to take care of the child himself than to bear the cost and anxiety of entrusting the child to someone other than the parents before the child enters daycare. Yoon said, "Most people who have experienced childcare even once feel pity toward those who use parental leave," but added, "However, the perception of men taking parental leave is still not very favorable." He continued, "Ultimately, individual courage is important in using parental leave."

The smaller the company workforce, the more difficult it is to use parental leave. On the anonymous office worker community app 'Blind,' posts and comments about how difficult it is to take male parental leave due to company pressure are easily found. User A explained, "Legally, it may be possible to use it, but colleagues who actually took parental leave had to return without completing the leave period due to pressure from superiors." Other users mainly responded, "Using it is free, but the situation after returning to work is uncertain." According to the 2021 'Parental Leave Takers by Company Size' released by Statistics Korea, the proportion of male parental leave takers in companies with 300 or more employees was high at 71%, while it was 14.5% for companies with 50-299 employees, 10.5% for 5-49 employees, and 3.2% for companies with 4 or fewer employees, showing a sharp decrease in male parental leave rates as company size decreases.

Experts unanimously agreed that corporate-level measures should be presented alongside respecting individual choices in using parental leave, such as clearly stating that there are no disadvantages. Donamhee, a research fellow at the Childcare Policy Research Institute, advised, "Even if it is said that parental leave can be used regardless of company size, men themselves fear potential disadvantages," adding, "It is necessary to explicitly state within company regulations that there are no disadvantages." He also emphasized, "In small and medium-sized enterprises, the low usage rate of parental leave is due to the lack of someone to assist or replace one's work, but according to previous research, in cases where the CEO's will was clear, parental leave could be freely used even in SMEs."