Women Become Victims of Expectation Game

 
Women Become Victims of Expectation Game
Korea Times-hkang@koreatimes.co.kr

“With the term "alpha girls" becoming a media buzzword, working moms in most cultures are burned out. Harvard University psychologist Dan Kindlon coined the term of an alpha girl to refer to a woman who doesn't feel limited by her sex and is a person first and then a woman.
The primary role of women in the home virtually hasn't changed over the past decades, but they are asked to commit more at work, making them the victims of the expectation game.
For women at work, balancing work and household duties gets tougher as time goes by, and the hostile environment, gender experts say, is mainly responsible for falling birth rates in some advanced countries such as Korea, Germany, Japan and Italy.”
“German Ambassador to Korea Hans-Ulrich Seidt shared the view that contemporary women have become victims of the expectation game as the male-dominated society has changed in a way that has encouraged highly-educated women to play an active role in labor markets as well as the community.
"Korea and Germany share similar experiences in the patterns of economic growth and birth rates over the past decades," he said in an interview with The Korea Times last week.”

The Korean War Baby notes that the article goes on to show some countries have higher birth rates, due to less stress of taking care of children. France, Norway, and Sweden, all have an increasing higher  birthrate. This begs the question: Why and How?

“Empirical studies show that women in reproductive countries are less stressed than their counterparts in countries fighting falling fertility rates when reconciling their duties at home and work.
 
According to a National Assembly Budget Office (NABO) report released last week, the governments of countries with high TFR introduced supportive work and family policies a long time ago, shouldering part of working women's household duties.


Those governments set up many public daycare centers, sponsored preschool programs and encouraged spouses to have parental leave.”

READ the FRENCH MODEL:

France subsidized children and families from pregnancy to young adulthood with the supportive measures, which caused the nation to become the leader in terms of TFR.
Earlier, Minister of Health, Welfare and Family Affairs Jeon Jae-hee, said she has looked closely at the French style of work and family policies to tackle falling birth rates here.

 
Her remark drew skepticism from some economists because of the financial burden that the government should shoulder. Economists say approximately $12.5 billion will be needed to fulfill Minister Jeon's commitment, adding this is almost unfeasible.


Aha!! More support for women with children, daycare centers, sponsored preschool programs, etc. HEY! Here’s a great idea, UNWED MOTHERS could also have some help raising their children. By helping ALL women have less stress about working with young children, birthrate would go up. Yes, it will cost a bundle, but long range thinking must be considered for the benefit of the nation, and ALL its citizens. (Better than blaming women for remaining single…next post).

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