"Pack Husband's Underwear and Side Dishes Before Childbirth Hospitalization" Controversy... Seoul City Deletes the Manual

Seoul Pregnancy and Childbirth Information Center
Weekly Pregnancy Checklist Manual
Promoting Gender Stereotypes... Including Appearance Criticism

Photo by Asia Economy DB

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunju Lee] The 'Seoul Pregnancy and Childbirth Information Center (Center)' is facing backlash on the 6th for posting content that promotes gender stereotypes in its pregnancy checklist.

On the Center's website, a manual introduced as "Must Know" outlining things women should check during each week of pregnancy and childbirth has been criticized online since the previous day.

Information on pregnancy stages posted by the Seoul Pregnancy and Childbirth Information Center (the Center). All have been deleted at present. (Source=Website)

For pregnant women at 19 weeks, the manual advised not to postpone household chores like cleaning or washing dishes, stating that doing them as they come can help with weight management without additional exercise. For women in late pregnancy, it presented a manual suggesting they should be responsible for both household chores and childcare, such as preparing side dishes, checking daily necessities, and organizing clothes.

In particular, under the "Preparing Side Dishes" section, it stated, "Throw away old food in the refrigerator and prepare two or three side dishes that the family likes. Preparing a few instant foods like instant curry, jajang (black bean sauce), or soup allows a husband who is not good at cooking to use them conveniently." The "Organizing Clothes" section mentioned, "Prepare underwear, socks, dress shirts, handkerchiefs, outerwear, etc., for the husband and children to change into according to the hospitalization period of about 3 or 7 days, and neatly organize them in a drawer."

Information on pregnancy stages posted by the Seoul Pregnancy and Childbirth Information Center (the Center). All have been deleted at present. (Source=Website)

Regarding sexual activity during pregnancy, the manual advised considering that "the husband might suddenly attack the wife or engage in excessively vigorous sexual activity, increasing the risk of premature birth." It also included appearance-related content, such as recommending buying clothes in smaller sizes worn before marriage or clothes desired to be worn after childbirth and hanging them in visible places, or the need for a "headband" to keep hair looking neat when unable to wash it for a while and appearing messy.

Following the controversy, the Center has deleted most of the related content from its website.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.