Rise in working mothers driven by growing financial strain on households

Choi, a 42-year-old woman who lives in Guri, Gyeonggi Province, quit the trading company where she had worked for more than a decade as soon as she became pregnant. As an older expectant mother, she was worried that the job might put too much strain on her pregnancy. After giving birth, she stayed home to focus on child care, but recently returned to the workforce when her child turned three, taking a position at an IT-related startup. “With the rising cost of living and the growing burden of child care and education expenses, it became clear that we could no longer rely on my husband’s income alone,” she said. “Plus, the flexible work culture typical of startups made it an ideal environment for working mothers.” The number of working mothers juggling both work and household responsibilities has risen rapidly over the past year. In contrast, the number of women who leave the workforce due to marriage, childbirth, child care or family care has fallen to an all-time low. A survey by the Ministry of Data and Statistics showed that 64.3 percent of married women aged 15 to 54 who liWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Korea Times Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Korea Times