[Jjinbit] "Should I Inform My Company About Infertility Treatment?"

Next Year, Statutory Infertility Leave Expanded from 3 to 6 Days Annually
Usage Difficult Due to Insufficient Leave Days
"Infertility Is Both a Personal Health and Labor Rights Issue"
A Society Where Infertile Workers with 'Pregnancy Intentions' Don't Feel Pressured Needed

Editor's Note[Jjinbit] is a shortened form of 'Jung Hyunjin's Business Trend' and 'Real Business Trend,' a segment that showcases trends in changes in work.

"Do you inform your company?"

One of the biggest challenges for employees undergoing infertility treatments is scheduling. They need to visit the hospital multiple times a month, and since regular working hours overlap with hospital hours, it is difficult to receive treatment without taking leave. This is why posts like these appear in online cafes for patients undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF), a representative infertility treatment. The perception that receiving hospital treatment to conceive is an extremely personal matter, along with the social stigma that views the health condition of 'nanim (infertility)' negatively, makes it difficult even to inform the company. Comments like "I don't mention it because taking leave is flexible" are somewhat fortunate. Other comments include "I said I was undergoing back treatment" and "I didn't want to say it, but I had no choice but to tell my direct supervisor."

Starting next year, the statutory infertility leave will increase from 3 days to 6 days per year. Considering that at least five hospital visits are required per IVF treatment cycle, this is still far from sufficient. Moreover, it is difficult to use even this leave. According to the Korea Women's Development Institute, the usage rate of infertility treatment leave is only 21.3%. Usage rates also vary depending on the size and type of workplace. Public institutions and government employees can even take infertility leave, but in the private sector, the usage rate decreases from large corporations to small and medium enterprises to micro-businesses. Some large corporations have attracted attention by establishing additional systems for infertility treatment. Furthermore, patients from rural areas who must travel to infertility clinics concentrated in the metropolitan area bear additional time and physical costs, enduring a form of regional inequality.

Some patients undergoing infertility treatment eventually choose to resign after going through these processes. This is because they face the crossroads of whether to 'have children' or 'maintain their employment.' According to a 2021 survey by the Korea Women's Development Institute, 4 out of 10 female wage workers undergoing infertility treatment resigned for reasons such as "no remaining leave." They endure career breaks to make the life-changing decision of pregnancy and childbirth. Employees who cannot afford infertility treatment costs, which can amount to hundreds of thousands of won at once, or who must maintain their livelihood tend to lean toward giving up on a 'life with children.'

Policy experts and infertility specialists whom the reporter met while researching the planned article "Infertility Competition" emphasized the necessity of infertility leave. Kim Dongsik, a senior research fellow at the Korea Women's Development Institute who has analyzed infertility policies, explained, "Infertility is not only a personal health issue but also a labor rights issue." Infertility treatment mainly targets people in their 30s and 40s, many of whom are at their career peak and can continue to be promoted based on their expertise, yet they are forced to give up their jobs. Kim described this situation as "involuntary resignation."

There are more than 250,000 infertility patients in South Korea, including both men and women. Among them, 95% of patients receiving infertility treatments such as artificial insemination or IVF are women. The low birthrate problem currently faced by South Korea has occurred alongside women's social advancement. Increasingly, women entering society worry that pregnancy and childbirth will negatively impact their careers and lives. Female employees undergoing infertility treatment decide to have children and actively make efforts despite these concerns. Society should not treat these efforts as something to be hidden. It is hoped that next year, at least, we will live in a society where people can confidently say they will use the 6 days of infertility leave.

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