16 Organizations Including Pohang Women's Association Participate
"Unstable Income Leads to Not Having Children"
Women's organizations in Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province, including Pohang Women's Association, have urged North Gyeongsang Province to reconsider its low birthrate policy, criticizing the exclusion of gender equality from the initiatives.
The Daegu-Gyeongbuk Women's Association, in a statement released on the 14th, said, "North Gyeongsang Province has announced 100 key tasks, including 20 core initiatives, to address the low birthrate issue and plans to allocate a budget of 1.2 trillion won for overcoming low birthrate." They introduced, "The main policies include matchmaking, support for childbirth, childcare and housing, work-life balance, and gender equality. Through 100 key tasks in six areas, the province aims to quickly establish a child-friendly environment and ensure the quality of life for families who choose marriage and childbirth by spreading awareness of work-life balance."
The women's organizations continued, "In the fourth quarter of 2023, South Korea's total fertility rate was 0.65. The problems of low birthrate and an aging society are more severe in provincial areas, and North Gyeongsang Province is no exception. While we agree on the need for an urgent response to the low birthrate, the complex intertwining of various factors has led to the current fertility rate of 0.65."
The Daegu-Gyeongbuk Women's Association stated, "Koreans work 122 more hours annually than the OECD average, and the costs of marriage, childbirth, and raising children are rising so much that people are not only reluctant to have children but are even giving up on marriage. After marriage, women still shoulder about 80% of household chores, and they continue to face disadvantages in the labor market due to childbirth. Above all, the income instability of young women concentrated in low-wage, non-regular jobs is a major cause of anxiety about the future. Policies to resolve these issues should be prioritized, but such measures are not visible in North Gyeongsang Province's policy proposals."
The statement also criticized, "North Gyeongsang Province used the violent term 'war,' making low birthrate an enemy that residents must fight and defeat. While describing the low birthrate as a 'war' may be intended to express the seriousness of the crisis and the province's determination to respond, such violent language would not be used if the root causes of low birthrate were properly understood."
The Daegu-Gyeongbuk Women's Association further pointed out, "The government has spent 380 trillion won over 18 years on low birthrate policies, and North Gyeongsang Province has announced a budget of 1.2 trillion won. The issue is not the amount spent, but how effectively it is used. If the budget is allocated to identify and resolve the fundamental causes, there is no problem. However, despite North Gyeongsang Province's gender equality index being among the lowest in the country every year, its gender equality projects only include support for families with multiple children."
The Daegu-Gyeongbuk Women's Association stated, "On the 9th, the Yoon Sukyeol administration announced the establishment of a tentatively named 'Low Birthrate Response Planning Department.' With the Minister of Gender Equality and Family position left vacant and the ministry likely to be abolished, gender equality policies are regressing in local governments as well. At this time, we must point out that 'gender equality' is missing from North Gyeongsang Province's low birthrate response measures. Efforts to spread gender equality awareness, which forms the sociocultural foundation for people to want to have and raise children, are absolutely necessary."
The Women's Association reiterated, "We urge North Gyeongsang Province to recognize the gender-discriminatory structures faced by young women and to implement policies to address them, and to reconsider low birthrate policies that exclude gender equality."
The statement released by the Daegu-Gyeongbuk Women's Association was joined by 16 organizations, including Pohang Women's Association, Daegu Women's Plaza, Daegu Women's Workers' Association, Daegu Women's Hotline, Daegu Women's Human Rights Center, Daegu Women's Disability Solidarity, Daegu Women's Association, Daegu Grassroots Women's Solidarity, Together Housewives' Association, Gyeongju Women's Workers' Association, Pohang Citizens' Solidarity Council, Pohang Environmental Solidarity, Pohang Center for Independent Living for the Disabled, National Public Officials Labor Union Education Office Headquarters North Gyeongsang Provincial Office Branch, Roh Moo Hyun Foundation Daegu-Gyeongbuk Regional Committee Pohang Branch, and North Gyeongsang Citizens' Human Rights Solidarity Council (in preparation).
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
