- Headline: "Counseling Reveals Rise in Unwed Teenage Mothers"
- Subheading: Holt Children's Services Reports on Causes and Solutions
- Source: Maeil Business Newspaper
- Date of Publication: April 15, 1976
- Summary:
On the 13th of this month, the Seoul YWCA hosted a Tuesday Lecture Series under the theme "Perspectives on Relationships Among Today's Youth as Seen Through Counseling." At the event, Hwa-Ja Jang, a counselor in the Family Welfare Department at Social Welfare Society (now known as the Korea Welfare Services), reported a concerning rise in unwed mothers, particularly among teenagers aged 16 to 20. Jang warned that the increasing number of adolescent pregnancies has made youth-related issues more pressing than ever. According to Jang, over the past three years, the number of unwed mothers seeking counseling at Social Welfare Services (now known as the Korea Welfare Services), Holt Children's Services, Korea Social Service, Korea Christian Crusade (now known as the Eastern Social Welfare Society), and Christian Children’s Fund has risen steadily. In 1972, there were 1,000 cases, increasing to 1,163 in 1973 and 1,747 in 1974. A breakdown of the 200 unwed mothers who sought counseling at Korea Welfare Services in 1974 shows that the largest age group was 21 to 25 years old, accounting for 32% (64 women), followed by 16 to 20 years old at 27% (54 women), and 26 to 30 years old at 16% (32 women). Regarding employment status, 42% were jobless, while others worked as maids (15%), factory girls (15%), hostesses (6%), and students (3%). Family background data revealed that 55% of these women came from broken homes where either the mother or father was absent.
The rise in unwed motherhood is attributed to loveless homes, a decline in social morals, sensationalist media, and the absence of proper sex education. To address this issue, sex education must be implemented in both schools and homes. Furthermore, open communication between parents and children is essential, along with social enlightenment campaigns aimed at fostering a more wholesome social environment. In 1975, the Christian Adoption Program of Korea (CAPOK) merged with Holt Children's Services. Prior to this merger, CAPOK actively shaped the discourse on unwed motherhood by compiling statistical data from counseling sessions and asserting that unwed mothers were increasing in number, predominantly young, of low educational attainment, and sexually promiscuous. However, following its integration into Holt, CAPOK ceased to be a visible entity in the media. The same discourse on unwed motherhood was subsequently reproduced by Holt Children's Services and state-approved international adoption agencies such as the Korea Welfare Services, Korea Social Service, and Eastern Social Welfare Society. These institutions, drawing upon demographic data from their in-house counseling services, continued to construct and reinforce a stereotype of unwed mothers. This persistent discursive entrapment ensured that unwed mothers remained marginalized within dominant narratives, thereby continuously legitimizing the international adoption of their children as a necessary and morally justified intervention.
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