- Headline: "Postscript"
- Source: Kyunghyang Shinmun
- Date of Publication: August 18, 1975
- Summary:
In Sweden, it has recently become common for unwed mothers to have children without revealing the identity of the father. This is despite the fact that they could receive 50,000 kronor, equivalent to approximately 5 million won, in child support from either the biological father or the state over the 18 years until the child reaches adulthood. The reason? Many unwed mothers fear the father might take the child away, and they prefer to raise the child themselves. It seems the era of pitying unwed mothers has passed.
But what about Korea? According to a recent report by the Holt Children's Society, 4,442 unwed mothers relinquished their parental rights and put their children up for adoption over the past three and a half years. The causes of unwed motherhood in Korea are attributed to the following: 1) the collapse of traditional family structures; 2) parental indifference to the education of their children; 3) a lack of proper sexual education; 4) increased sexual liberalization and moral decay. This highlights the urgent need for comprehensive and appropriate sexual education in our society. In contrast to the realities of Sweden, 1970s Korea demonstrates that many unwed mothers remained unable to raise their children due to prevailing social and economic constraints. Furthermore, media narratives of the time continued to frame unwed motherhood as a societal problem stemming from a lack of parental guidance and sexual education.
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