South Korean capital government criticized for deleting online textbook for pregnant women containing sexist advice and gender stereotypes
SEOUL, South Korea – The South Korean capital’s government is facing criticism for an online textbook for pregnant women that contained sexist advice and gender stereotypes.
The now deleted guidelines, which were published on the Seoul Pregnancy and Birth Information Center website, suggested that pregnant women prepare food, clothing, and daily necessities for their husbands and families before going to the hospital. to give birth. They provided advice on weight management, which involved suspending smaller clothes for motivation, and warned women against spending too much on children’s clothing.
South Korea has one of the lowest birth rates in the world, according to the United Nations National Population Fund, and is trying to encourage more births. But critics say the efforts have been hampered by a government that often reflects a deeply patriarchal society and widespread sexist views.
“It’s like the city of Seoul says a wife should take care of all the housework,” Kim Hyomin, a student at Duksung Women’s University, said in a telephone interview.
The manual was published in 2019, but did not receive much attention until last week, when criticism spread on social networks. The delayed anger caused the capital to erase the guidelines and launched online petitions apologizing.
The Seoul metropolitan government acknowledged in a statement on Monday that it had failed to check the guidelines in detail, which it said were initially on the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s website and promised to review websites related to city and will educate employees on gender equality.
The guidelines also warned women of what they said was an increased risk of premature birth if a husband “suddenly threw himself on top of her” or engaged in “aggressive sexual activity.”
The guidelines promoted and normalized gender-based violence, according to Ji-Yeong Yunkim, an assistant professor at the Institute of Body and Culture at Konkuk University.
“Women are seen as having to sacrifice themselves and take care of adult men, no matter how difficult it may be,” Yunkim said.
This is not the first time that government efforts to raise the birth rate have turned upside down.
In 2016, South Korea’s Interior Ministry launched a “birth map” website, showing the number of women of childbearing age, by city district and region. That site was pulled after a public outcry.
Professor Yunkim said the South Korean government’s recurring misfortunes stem from women’s perception of male-dominated institutions.
“They see women as reproductive tools rather than individuals,” Yunkim said.