"The Phrase 'Everything Will Work Out If You Have a Baby' Doesn't Resonate... Small Business Owners Face Gaps in Maternity and Childcare Support"

Minister Han Sungsook Holds On-site Roundtable with Women and Young Small Business Owners

"I work more than 12 hours at my store, so the phrase 'everything will work out once you have a baby' doesn't resonate with me. Sometimes I wonder how things would have been if I had worked at a regular company." (Jeong Bonggyu, CEO of FEAT)

"I worked until 10 days before giving birth, and just a month after having my baby, I went on a business trip. As a one-person business owner and worker, if I don't work, the company can't function." (Jang Mihwa, CEO of Plan J)

Small business owners who juggle both childbirth, childcare, and their livelihood have voiced the need for a stronger social safety net, including increased financial support, to help them balance work and family. Many small business owners are left out of welfare programs such as parental leave, leaving them more exposed to risks of career interruption and business closure.

On May 12, Sung-sook Han, Minister of SMEs and Startups, held a roundtable on maternity and childcare for women and young small business owners at FEAT, a cafe located in Yeonnam-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul.

The purpose of this meeting was to discuss support measures for business interruptions and income loss that small business owners face due to being relatively excluded from work-family balance policies, and to incorporate feedback from the field. Before the roundtable, Minister Han visited small businesses such as Museun Bookstore, You Make Cookie, and Atelier Boeun to encourage their owners in person.

Minister Han stated, "Policies related to pregnancy and childbirth have been designed mainly for employees, and self-employed business owners are left with inadequate systems simply because they are categorized as business owners. There is a lack of a tangible safety net in terms of utilizing substitute labor or support for caregiving," and added, "For self-employed business owners to operate successfully, we must address pregnancy and childbirth issues and create stepping stones that help them grow to the next level."

Small business owners who attended the roundtable shared that during the process of childbirth and childcare, the lack of workers to replace them leads directly to 'business gaps' becoming 'operational gaps'.

Jo Yunsu, CEO of Genie the Bottle, said, "At businesses with fewer than five employees, there is pressure not to take parental leave, and sometimes the owner explicitly tells workers not to take it. Filling the gap requires hiring someone or sharing work among employees," adding, "If support programs and related systems are established so that workplaces can benefit, it will be possible to operate a sustainable workforce."

Jang Mihwa, CEO of Plan J, said, "Event planning work peaks at the end and start of the year, so if I don't work, I have no income, which is why I worked without a break just a month after giving birth. When my husband watches the baby, I have to hire an employee, and the minimum labor cost is at least 100,000 won per person. The government offers maternity support of 500,000 won per month for three months to one-person business owners or freelancers, but my husband was not eligible, so even though he is self-employed, he could not receive support," she lamented.

Even small business owners who have not yet experienced childcare, such as newlyweds, express vague fears about balancing childbirth, parenting, and store operations.

Jeong Bonggyu, CEO of FEAT, said, "Even as a self-employed person, when there are no employees, I have to take on the role of a worker as well, and the gap that creates is significant. There are many restrictions for self-employed people in accessing benefits like maternity or parental leave that employees receive. Even receiving support involves a lot of paperwork. I hope there will be support measures that feel more practical in real life."

Go Yeeun, CEO of You Make Cookie, said, "I want to get married and have children, but the fact that there is no one to care for my child in my place is overwhelming. My store is running well now, but I'm not sure if I can continue after having a baby, so I'm attending academies or classes to explore what I could do if I stop running the store," adding, "Even if I return after childbirth, time and costs will inevitably be involved, so in reality, it seems that career interruption is unavoidable."

Minister Han said, "Raising the support amount for freelancers requires a lot of budget, so it is difficult to easily persuade the relevant ministries, but we will continue to consult with financial authorities to come up with more effective measures. Although self-employed people work individually, I believe structures like cooperatives that allow voices from traditional markets or alley-type shopping districts to unite and take action are necessary. I will also consider more ways to support business owners," she said.