- Headline: 1970s Blueprint Series - Episode 3: Social Welfare
- Subheading: Social welfare shift: Fewer orphanages, more senior homes and daycare centers planned
- Source: Dong-A Ilbo
- Date of Publication: January 6, 1970
- Summary:
In a progressive move for the 1970s, the government has unveiled ambitious social welfare plans to support unwed mothers, allocating a budget of KRW 16 million to establish 11 new maternity homes dedicated to their care. The Establishment of Maternity homes for Unwed Mothers in the 1970s What may be its purpose and impact?
The 1970s saw the establishment of dedicated maternity homes where unwed pregnant women could reside until childbirth. These facilities became critical infrastructure, effectively securing children born to unwed mothers for adoption both domestically and internationally.
The impact of these facilities is reflected in the statistics: during the 1960s, the number of children from unwed mothers adopted domestically totaled 1,163, with 1,304 placed for international adoption. By the 1970s, domestic adoptions surged to 9,075, an increase of nearly tenfold, while international adoptions rose dramatically to 17,627, a fourteenfold increase (Kwon, 2019, p. 29).
These numbers indicate that the 1970s marked the beginning of an era with unprecedented adoption activity involving children born to unwed mothers.
Reference: Kwon, Hee Jung. The Birth of Unwed Mothers: The History of Exiled Mothers (unofficial translation). Antonia’s Books, 2019.
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Note: Articles are in Korean, and English translations are not provided in the library. National life expectancy increases, climbing from 62 to 72 years.
The English summary and translation of this article is provided by UMI4AA. |
