"Seoul City Shifts Childcare and Housework Responsibilities to Pregnant Women, Saying 'Prepare Side Dishes for Your Husband'?Is There a Problem?"

Sexist Content Posted on Seoul City Pregnancy Information Site
Citizens Criticize "Is My Wife a Maid?"
Women's Groups Condemn Viewing Women as Childbirth and Housework Tools

Information that pregnant women in the late stages of pregnancy should know, posted on the 'Seoul City Pregnancy and Childbirth Information Center' website. Photo by Seoul City Pregnancy and Childbirth Information Center website capture

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] "I throw away old food in the refrigerator and prepare three or four side dishes that my family enjoys eating. If you prepare a few instant foods like instant curry, jajang (black bean sauce), or soup, my husband, who is not good at cooking, can conveniently use them."

The Seoul Pregnancy and Childbirth Information Center (the Center) is facing criticism for encouraging pregnant women in their late pregnancy to do housework. Seoul City established the Center's website in 2019 with the purpose of providing pregnancy and childbirth information to women and handling related civil complaints, but it has been criticized for offering sexist content unrelated to the health of pregnant women.

In particular, some of the content still places the responsibility of childcare and housework solely on women, leading to criticism that Seoul City lacks 'gender sensitivity.' Women's organizations pointed out that the outdated perspective of viewing women as tools for childbirth and housework still persists.

The Center's website, launched in June 2019, divides pregnancy information by stages: early pregnancy, mid-pregnancy, and late pregnancy. It provides weekly updates on fetal growth, maternal changes, health check points, pregnant women's lifestyle guidelines, focused prenatal education, and other general knowledge under the section titled 'Must Know!'

The problem lies in some of the content provided by the Center being sexist. For example, for women in late pregnancy, the Center advised, "Prepare underwear, socks, dress shirts, handkerchiefs, outerwear, etc., for your husband and children to change into on the day of hospitalization, and organize them neatly in a drawer," and "Check the remaining amounts of toilet paper, toothpaste, toothbrushes, soap, detergent, etc., so that the family members left behind are not inconvenienced."

Additionally, at 19 weeks of pregnancy, the Center advised, "Do not postpone house chores like cleaning or washing dishes; doing them promptly helps with weight management," and "Stretching your hands forward while mopping also helps with stretching." At 22 weeks, it suggested, "Hang clothes you wore before marriage in a visible place and look at them when you want to eat more than necessary to stimulate yourself."

Information that pregnant women in their second trimester should know, posted on the 'Seoul City Pregnancy and Childbirth Information Center' website. Photo by Seoul City Pregnancy and Childbirth Information Center website capture

In summary, Seoul City shifted caregiving labor such as house cleaning, dishwashing, and childcare onto women. After the controversy grew, the Center deleted the problematic content.

Women raised their voices, saying the site was forcing caregiving duties on women in late pregnancy. Kim (28, female), an office worker, criticized, "Is housework the only advice for pregnant women? My wife is not a housemaid, and does she have to do housework with a belly as big as Namsan in late pregnancy?" She added, "I don't know how they think about women. No wonder people are pursuing non-marriage."

This is not the first time that government ministries and public institutions have revealed sexist perceptions of women. Previously, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport faced backlash last year for defining newlyweds based on the woman's age, which sparked accusations of sexism.

At that time, the Ministry defined newlyweds as "households married for seven years or less, with the female spouse aged 49 or younger." This was criticized for limiting the definition of newlyweds to households with women of childbearing age, which was seen as sexist.

Earlier, in 2016, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety released a "Korea Birth Map" showing the number of women of childbearing age by local government on a map, but deleted the content within a day after criticism that it treated women as childbirth tools.

Pregnant Women Consideration Campaign Poster. [Image Source=Yonhap News]

As sexist perceptions of women appear in many places, some women are voluntarily choosing non-marriage. According to the 2020 Social Survey by Statistics Korea, 51.2% of the population aged 13 and older believe that marriage is necessary, down 13.5 percentage points from 64.7% in 2010. This means half of the population does not consider marriage essential.

Regarding whether non-marriage is voluntary, both men and women responded positively, but with a difference: 63.4% of men and 87.2% of women said yes.

Lee (31), an office worker who identifies as part of the 'non-marriage group,' said, "I often feel that women lose out by getting married. Many still think housework is the woman's responsibility, and even among my married friends, many quit their jobs due to pregnancy or childcare." She added, "Isn't it better to invest in my future rather than spending my whole life on housework and childcare?"

Women's organizations expressed anger over the controversy and demanded an apology. J, an activist from the Korean Women's Minwoo Association, said, "This is an issue that can only provoke anger. It clearly reveals an outdated perspective that still views women as tools for childbirth and housework." She added, "Many people are angry about this. The world has already changed, but they have failed to keep up. Seoul City should naturally apologize for the controversy."

She continued, "Government authorities should seek various perspectives so that women can autonomously protect their bodily rights and rights to life, and take appropriate measures."

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