[K-Women Talk] A Happy Journey Together with Single Moms

Baek Hyun-wook, President of the Korean Women Doctors Association

On a clear and sunny Saturday afternoon at the end of September, I got off at Hongdae Entrance Station and headed to the small theater Sanwoollim Cafe. In front of the cafe, there was a banner that read "A Happy Journey Together with Single Moms and the Korean Women Doctors Association." This was the first event where the Korean Women Doctors Association tried a regular medical volunteer service in a new format called "the meeting of culture and medicine." The cozy cafe space, with its doors wide open, was pleasantly bustling with mothers and babies who had lined up early to register and enter.

Compared to decades ago, there have been many changes in South Korea’s medical environment and system. In this changing era, the way medical volunteer work is conducted must also evolve. What kind of activities truly embody the meaning of respecting life and sharing, while providing genuine help? Within the changed medical system, what medical services remain unmet, and who desperately needs them? After much consideration, we agreed to carry out a program targeting single moms and their children who face difficulties in parenting following pregnancy and childbirth. We planned a program combining music and psychological medical counseling for them.

About 20 female medical professionals from various specialties?including internal medicine, psychiatry, obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics, orthopedics, ophthalmology, and dermatology?as well as psychological counselors, participated to provide medical consultations and individual and group psychological counseling treatments for around 70 single moms and their children. Individual medical consultations were more popular than expected, with many additional requests made on site. Each specialty devoted sufficient time to counseling, listened attentively, and shared empathy, which seemed to open the hearts of the attending single moms.

One counseling participant who came for internal medicine consultation regarding obesity and health issues after childbirth shared about her lifestyle habits such as diet and exercise and regular checkups. She tearfully said she was able to gain confidence in herself as "a wonderful mom living proudly with the most lovable baby in the world." Another participant raising two babies said that during the pediatric consultation, she realized that the allergy issues her baby had were common but that her own anxiety had caused her to worry excessively, which brought her relief.

Through counseling, it was evident that, to varying degrees, single moms commonly experienced anxiety and depression. The biggest practical difficulties for single moms are social perception and economic independence. Without resolving these, persistent anxiety and depression inevitably follow. This affects not only the mothers but also their children, preventing them from being mentally, physically, and socially healthy and happy. Although South Korea is the country with the lowest birthrate in the world and struggles with low fertility issues, the narrow-minded views of society push young mothers toward the choice of giving up their babies. Despite being an economic powerhouse with a low birthrate, the environment that easily leads to relinquishing babies still places South Korea among the top countries for international adoption outflow.

Rapid improvement is needed from the perspectives of child rights protection and the country’s population issues. Those who choose the life of a single mom, giving birth and raising a baby alone without giving up on life in such a harsh environment, are truly brave mothers. Wouldn’t it be desirable for single moms to give birth confidently, raise their children well, and for their grown children to become reliable pillars of society? This event was a moment to deeply reconsider that we ourselves must remove prejudiced views in society, workplaces, and homes, and pay more attention to realistic improvements in systems that firmly guarantee housing and childcare expenses for single moms for a certain period.

The small concert that followed in the small theater offered a beautiful and grand guitar sound harmonizing with the violin, creating a moving atmosphere fitting for autumn. It was a short but happy autumn day journey, combining empathetic counseling therapy and beautiful music.

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