The government of the capital of South Korea is criticized for an online manual for pregnant women that contains sexist tips and gender stereotypes.
SEOUL, South Korea – The government of South Korea’s capital is being criticized for an online guide for pregnant women that contains sexist tips and gender stereotypes.
The recently removed guidelines, published on the Seoul Pregnancy and Childbirth Information Center website, suggested that pregnant women should prepare food, clothing and daily necessities for their husbands and families before going to the hospital to to give birth. They offered tips on weight control that hung smaller size clothes for motivation and warned women against excessive spending on children’s clothes.
According to the United Nations Population Fund, South Korea has one of the lowest birth rates in the world and is trying to encourage more births. But critics say the efforts were hampered by a government that often reflects a deeply patriarchal society and widespread sexist views.
“It’s like Seoul City declaring that a woman has to do all the homework,” Kim Hyomin, a student at Duksung Women’s University, said in a telephone interview.
The manual was published in 2019, but only received wide attention last week, when criticism spread on social media. The late rage prompted the capital to scrap the guidelines and sparked online petitions asking him to apologize.
The Metropolitan Government in Seoul on Monday acknowledged in a statement that it had not thoroughly reviewed the guidelines, which they said were originally from the Ministry of Health and Welfare website, and promised to review city-related websites and employees on gender equality inform.
The guidelines also warned women about what they say is the increased risk of premature birth if a man ‘suddenly throws on top of her’ or does ‘aggressive sexual activity’.
According to Ji-Yeong Yunkim, assistant professor at the Institute of Body and Culture at Konkuk University, gender-based violence has been promoted and normalized.
“Women are seen to have to sacrifice and care for adults, no matter how difficult it is,” Yunkim said.
This is not the first time that the government’s efforts to increase the birth rate have backfired.
In 2016, South Korea’s Interior Ministry launched a “birth chart” website showing the number of women of childbearing age by city district and region. The site was pulled after a public outcry.
Professor Yunkim said the recurring accidents by the South Korean government stemmed from the perception of women being dominated by men.
“They view women as reproductive instruments rather than individuals,” Yunkim said.