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Secondhand Smoke on the Streets and Subtle Pressure at Work Persist
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There is a significant gap between social awareness of consideration for pregnant women and the reality as experienced by pregnant women themselves. In particular, everyday inconveniences such as secondhand smoke on the streets and subtle pressure in the workplace remain major issues.

Priority seats for pregnant women installed in the subway. The Asia Business Daily DB

The Planned Population and Health Association announced on December 23 the results of its 'Awareness and Practice Level of Consideration for Pregnant Women' survey, which was conducted between October and November among 1,000 pregnant women and 1,000 non-pregnant women.

82% Say They Were Considerate... Only 56% of Pregnant Women Felt It

According to the survey, 82.6% of non-pregnant respondents said they had "been considerate to pregnant women," but only 56.1% of pregnant women actually felt they had received such consideration. The overall score for the level of consideration as evaluated by pregnant women was 64.9 points, a decrease of 2.0 points from the previous year, while the average score among non-pregnant women rose by 6.2 points to 69.1.

Looking at negative experiences of pregnant women by category-home, workplace, and daily life-at home, the most common issue was "lack of family understanding regarding physical and emotional changes due to pregnancy" (30.4%). In the workplace, "subtle pressure from supervisors and colleagues" was the top concern at 41.0%, followed by "disadvantages in personnel matters such as missing out on promotions" at 22.9%.

In daily life, the most significant inconvenience was "secondhand smoke on the streets." The proportion of pregnant women who selected this item was 82.2%, an overwhelming figure that increased by 20.5 percentage points compared to the previous year.

Images related to smoking and smoking cessation

Everyday Inconveniences Persist... Disparities in Maternity Protection Systems by Occupation

On the other hand, the most common experience of receiving consideration or help at home was "sharing household chores" at 41.3%, which also matched the type of help most needed by pregnant women (46.0%). In the workplace, "adjustment of commuting hours" was the most frequently utilized form of consideration (39.0%), and half of the respondents (50.0%) said it was necessary. In daily life, "being offered a seat on public transportation" was the most common experience at 31.3%, and the most needed consideration was also "being offered a seat" (48.4%).

The usage rate of maternity protection systems among pregnant workers was 75.2%, with "reduced working hours during pregnancy" being the most frequently used benefit (80.3%), followed by "fetal examination time" (62.0%) and "maternity leave before and after childbirth" (47.4%). However, among pregnant women who could not use these systems, 45.8% responded that it was "not a type of employment where such benefits are available," such as non-regular or freelance positions, revealing blind spots in the system.

Lee Samsik, President of the Planned Population and Health Association, stated, "This shows there is a gap between social awareness of consideration for pregnant women and the actual level experienced." He emphasized, "Everyday inconveniences such as the use of priority seats on public transportation or smoking on the streets are difficult to resolve through systems alone, so changes in public awareness and efforts are crucial."