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Will affordable housing and daycare help women?

Published: 22 Aug. 2024, 20:00

In response to the recent article “Education reform can curb the population crisis” by Prof. Oh Se-jung, I want to thank Prof. Oh as his intelligence and reputation are esteemed in equal quantities. His outstanding academic career and service to the nation are well known.

However, as just a “regular joe” I can’t agree with him, even though I want to. I agree with his faultless logic and extremely succinct solutions, and this makes it all the harder to write this.

At this stage, regarding the population concerns that both South Korea and Japan face, an immediate and direct response seems to be needed. Aren’t there serious economic and military concerns that arise out of dropping or static population numbers?

The critical issue with this serious subject is that Korea needs women writing opinion pieces like this, instead of me writing letters, or men in general, trying to address the issues without the insight of women, and specifically Korean women.

How many people could hold two full time jobs — a career and the Korean woman’s role as ‘family management specialist?’ I’m friends with a female president of a Korean fashion company and she not only has to run an office full of people, but her other duties included full time cook, cleaner, educational advisor for her kids’ education, diplomat with her in-laws (mother in-law especially), event planner every Chuseok and Seollal and still find time to be married!

Even though I love Korea and the bustle of Seoul, the extreme competition for all kinds of scarce resources needs to ease up a bit. The gaps in income, housing, day care and education won’t be solved by education reform in my opinion.

Given that the world is facing food and resource insecurity, the rise of aggressive and dictatorial nations filled with dreams of military adventurism and increased radical terrorism — maybe it’s time to let the Korean population fall to a level where life is more enjoyable for women and families than it is now? Love, happiness, good food, pansori?

If resource and military conflicts dominate our next 40-50 years, wouldn’t it be better to thrive with happier, well-fed and clothed people, albeit with a smaller population? But I’d ask the KJD editors to maybe ask women and women leaders like past President Park Geun-hye what they think?

God bless Korea and Prof. Oh for his attention and response to the very existence of the Korean people!

Mike Sluchinski, a Canadian citizen