Working Parents with Children Under 12 Can Now Use 'Reduced Working Hours for Childcare'

Partial Amendments to the Act on Gender Equality in Employment and Work-Family Balance Support Approved at Cabinet Meeting

From now on, working parents with children aged 12 or younger will also be able to utilize the reduced working hours system during childcare periods. In addition, full pay will be provided for all 10 days of spouse childbirth leave.

On the 4th, the Ministry of Employment and Labor announced that it reviewed and approved partial amendments to the Act on Gender Equality in Employment and Work-Family Balance Support, the Employment Insurance Act, and the Labor Standards Act at the Cabinet meeting. The Ministry plans to submit the bills to the National Assembly within this month.

First, the eligible age for applying for reduced working hours during childcare will be expanded from "8 years old or younger, or up to 2nd grade in elementary school" to "12 years old or younger, or up to 6th grade in elementary school." The reduced working hours system during childcare was introduced to allow working parents raising children to care for their children without career interruption. Unused periods during parental leave will be added as double the duration to the reduced working hours period during childcare.

To activate the spouse childbirth leave system, the number of times the leave can be split will be increased from once to three times. Also, the pay support period for spouse childbirth leave will be expanded from "5 days" to "the entire leave period (10 days)."

To protect the health of pregnant women and fetuses from the risk of premature birth, the "reduced working hours during pregnancy" system, which reduces working hours by 2 hours per day, will be expanded from "within 12 weeks of pregnancy or after 36 weeks" to "within 12 weeks of pregnancy or after 32 weeks."

The period for infertility treatment leave will be extended, and pay support will also be provided. The infertility treatment leave period will increase from "3 days per year" to "6 days per year," and the number of paid leave days during that period will be expanded from "1 to 2 days." Additionally, a new system will be established to provide pay for these 2 days to workers employed by priority support target companies.

Along with this, if a corporate representative commits sexual harassment in the workplace, they will be subject to fines just like the employer.

Minister of Employment and Labor Lee Jeong-sik. (File photo)
Photo by Yonhap News

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