Publication

How Is the Burden of Childrearing and Care Distributed?

Institute for Reform Issue Brief 2026-32 (October 16, 2026), Part 4 of the "Politics and Generations" series, asks how the burden of childrearing and care is divided. Korea's statutory paid leave is long among OECD countries, but public spending on leave benefits is small, and the parental leave usage rate counts only parents who meet the legal requirements. Among eligible parents, use differs by firm size, and the gap continues after leave. The employment rate of mothers whose youngest child is aged 0 to 2 has risen, with close to half of the rise consisting of mothers temporarily absent for childcare, while fathers' employment does not vary with the age of the child; in dual-earner couples, wives still do more housework than husbands.