”To solve the extremely low birth rate, it is necessary to eliminate discrimination against women taking childcare leave” = South Korea

In South Korea, a proposal has been made that in order to solve the problem of extremely low birth rates, discrimination against women who take childcare leave must be eliminated.
According to the Korea Women's Policy Institute on the 25th, the University of California, San Francisco
Professor Emeritus Joan Williams of the College of Law made this remark at a seminar on the theme of "An in-depth analysis of the phenomenon of ultra-low birthrate in South Korea" held on the 24th.
Professor Williams, who has been conducting various research activities on balancing work and family life for 25 years, said, "Korea has been treating childbirth as a women's issue.
"The government has a strong tendency to think that women are primarily responsible for child rearing and care at home," he said. "Long working hours compared to other member countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) are also a problem.
"The social atmosphere that defines dedication to the workplace as the ideal worker is an obstacle to solving the problem of low birth rates," he said. In Korea, there are various childcare support systems in schools and daycare centers after school hours.
Although childcare facilities are available, it is difficult to completely fill the gaps in childcare due to long working hours at the workplace.
Given this reality, we need to consider allowing immigration to help resolve the shortage of caregivers for the elderly," he added.