Mothers Return to Society

A Western cuisine major in university, and trained abroadSon Jeong-hwa was well on her way to become a successful chef.

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Then, when she had her son Yu-bin,

her whole life changed. She left her job to become a stay-at-home mother.

[Interview : Son Jeong-hwa, Stay-at-home mother] "I want to keep working, but it's more important to stay at home with my child. Of course, it's not easy".

Her day begins and ends with playing with her son Yu-bin.

[SOV]
[Interview : PD] "Do you play like this often[Interview : ] "Almost all the time. If I don't, my son cries and clings to me".

She gave up a career to take care of her son

In Korea, many women make the same choice.

[Interview : Yun Hyo-sik, Director of Family Policy Division Ministry of Gender Equality and Family] "In some other countries, there is more equal division of household labor or social support for working mothers, leading to a lower rate of resignation among married women. In Korea, more women quit their jobs after getting married for child rearing or household labor because they have less institutional support than in other nations".

Are mothers more content staying at home or balancing work and family

Conditions in Korea are slowly changing.

More support is being provided for working mothers like Baek Mi-suk who is responsible for the statistical material at her company.

Even at work, her mind is on her daughter.

At lunchtime, she hurries to meet her daughter, who is playing at the day care center that is partly paid for by her company.

[SOV]
[Interview : ] "How much did you miss me[Interview : ] "A lot".

[Interview : ] "You missed me a lot"

[Interview : Baek Mi-suk, Employee Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service] "Work is very important to me, so it was difficult for me to think about quitting my job to raise my child".

It was a tough dilemma after 11 years of work.

[Interview : Baek Mi-suk, Employee Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service] "My company provides a lot of financial support for day care, and this gives me some flexibility in choosing my working hours. We have a good maternity leave system, and reduced working hours for mothers with very young children".

She says the array of policies for working mothers enabled her to keep her job.

[Interview : Yun Hyo-sik, Director of Family Policy Division Ministry of Gender Equality and Family] "We provide all-day day care for infants, and part-time day care for toddlers whenever they need a guardian. The government is trying to provide support that would take away some of the burden from working parents".

There are also training programs available for mothers who wish to return to the workplace.

The programs help mothers who have been out of work for long periods of time.

[Interview : Shin In-young, Employee Songpa Women's Resources Development Institute] "Many of our students are mothers who stopped working after marriage or having a child. We help women find the right training services and job openings for themselves".

Last year, 62.3% of the women who received training were able to find jobs.

These women are hoping to find jobs in the food industry.

[Interview : Kim Jeong-geum, Student] "My children are all grown up. It's time for me to go back to work".

They have gathered up the courage to begin a new second life after their children have grown up! They seem excited and eager.

[Interview : Kim Sun-im, Student] "You have to keep studying all your life. This is studying".

[Interview : Kim Jeong-geum, Student] "I want to do something independently, with my own name on it. That's why I want to work".

Of the various training programs offered,

Kim Byeong-hui completed the administrative course and found a new job.

[Interview : Kim Byeong-hui, Mother returned to work] "I took courses in Excel and Word and Powerpoint, and I was able to get an administrative job. I'm very proud of myself".

She says she feels more alive now at work.

[Interview : Kim Byeong-hui, Mother returned to work] "For people who want to go back to work, there's always a way, and so many places to get training at a low cost. I strongly recommend that they actively look for those opportunities".

Many women in Korea give up their careers and independence to become full-time wives and mothers, but later choose to return to the workplace.

When they return, they become invaluable assets to their employers and to the labor force.

All of Korea continues to cheer them on as they challenge themselves to pursue a dream of a new career.

[STUDIO]

Tough choice there.
Do you spend time with your kid. Or do you go out there and work.
I think it's great there are more institutions allowing mothers to make that choice for themselves. Or making it easier to be a working mom.
And inpsiring to see it's not too late for mothers who want to go back to the workforce.
Yeah. And I'm sure they have many many more people skills after raising a kid
Well up next we're going to continue our series on Korean oriental medicine.