Husband Who Hid Hair Loss Treatment Before Pregnancy
She Developed Postpartum Depression from Shock and Demanded a Divorce
A story about a woman suffering from postpartum depression after being shocked that her husband had concealed the fact that he was bald before her pregnancy has sparked controversy.
On the 27th, YTN Radio's 'Joinseop Jo's Counseling Center' shared the story of a woman who found out late that her husband was experiencing hair loss. Ms. A, who was a capable gold miss, said, "In my late 30s, I met my current husband and hurriedly got married," adding, "A few months after our marriage, I became pregnant, and on the day I shared the happy news with my husband, he confessed that he was 'bald.'"
Ms. A said, "I had even complimented my husband's hair volume during our dating period, so I suffered from a sense of betrayal throughout my pregnancy," and claimed, "My husband did not properly apologize to me but rather accused me of being an ununderstanding woman." She continued, "Even after giving birth to our daughter, I suffered severe postpartum depression, often unable to eat even one meal a day and frequently collapsing," explaining, "Because of this, I inevitably became somewhat neglectful of household chores and childcare."
Instead of comforting Ms. A, who was struggling with postpartum depression, her husband notified her of a divorce. He reportedly said, "You are not qualified to be a mother. Never think about meeting the child," and left the house with their child. Ms. A said, "I still love my husband and have no intention of divorcing," seeking advice.
"Baldness is an appearance issue... no obligation to disclose"
Attorney Park Kyung-nae advised, "Poor health due to postpartum depression that prevents proper household management and childcare is unlikely to be grounds for divorce," adding, "However, if the postpartum depression symptoms are severe enough to make continuing the marital relationship difficult, there may be exceptional grounds for divorce under Article 84, Clause 6 of the Civil Act." He also added, "Even in a state of separation without divorce, visitation rights for the child can be requested."
He also advised that divorce cannot be demanded solely because the husband did not disclose his baldness. Attorney Park explained, "Baldness is an appearance issue, so it is difficult to consider it a mandatory disclosure item before marriage," clarifying that it is not grounds for annulment of marriage.
Meanwhile, according to a recent survey conducted by the marriage information company Duo targeting unmarried men and women in their 20s and 30s of marriageable age, men least preferred women with acne, and women least preferred men who were bald with severe hair loss. The number of patients treated for alopecia at hospitals, as disclosed by the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service, was ▲2016 (212,916) ▲2017 (215,025) ▲2018 (224,688) ▲2019 (233,628) ▲2020 (234,780), showing a 10.3% increase over five years. Including patients who have not visited medical institutions or potential sufferers, as compiled by the Korean Hair Loss Treatment Society, the actual population suffering from hair loss in Korea is estimated to approach 10 million.
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