- Headline: “The Conflicting Social Issues of Unwed Mothers and Childless Families”
- Subheading: A Christian Adoption Program of Korea's Survey on the Situation
- Source: Kyunghyang Shinmun
- Date of Publication: April 15, 1974
- Summary:
Unwed mothers and the wives of childless households face contrasting troubles tied to the birth of a baby, and together, these women have become a troublesome social issue. According to President Hyunsook Shim of the Christian Adoption Program of Korea (CAPOK), the organization working with these women, many believe the rise in unwed mothers is due to the trend of sexual liberalization. However, she emphasizes a deeper cause: families that are unable to adequately protect and guide their children. This inability often stems from parents who are deficient in their roles or incapable of providing stable support. Challenges such as families struggling with poverty or rebellious youth fleeing their homes exacerbate these problems. Yet, Korean society offers very few welfare facilities to support these individuals, leaving them to endure significant indifference.
As for adoption in childless families, what is the state of our society? In our culture, a strong preference for sons persists. While 70 percent of adoptions involve boys to continue family lines, 70 percent of illegitimate children relinquished by unwed mothers are girls. Shim argues that insisting on maintaining a lineage is unnecessary and suggests that adoption is a far better solution than resorting to the extreme measures some take—such as having a concubine—to produce a son to carry on the family name. Women who gave birth outside of marriage or those unable to bear children within marriage became categorized as problematic as the so-called "normal family"—a married couple with children—was idealized as the epitome of happiness. This article demonstrates how adoption served to address the issues faced by these women while contributing to the making of a normative family in modern society.
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