- Headline: "Postscript"
- Source: Kyunghyang Shinmun
- Date of Publication: August 18, 1975
- Summary:
In Sweden, many unwed mothers are choosing not to reveal the identity of their child’s biological father, even though they are entitled to receive 50,000 kronor, approximately 5 million KRW, in child support over 18 years from either the father or the state. The reason is that by keeping the father’s identity a secret, they can prevent him from taking the child away and ensure they can raise the child themselves. It seems that the time when unwed mothers were seen as helpless is coming to an end.
In Korea, the situation is different. According to a recent report by Holt Children's Services, 4,442 unwed mothers have relinquished their parental rights and placed their babies for adoption over the past three and a half years. The main reasons for unwed pregnancies are identified as 1) the collapse of the traditional family structure, 2) the lack of parental involvement in child-rearing, 3) the absence of proper sexual education, and 4) the increasing moral looseness and promiscuity regarding sexual behavior. There is an urgent need for effective sexual education in our country. Unlike in Western societies, where the rights of unwed mothers to raise their children have been increasingly recognized, South Korea continues to frame unwed motherhood through the lens of family ethics and sexual morality. The fact that so many unwed mothers are pressured to give up raising their children is, above all, a direct reflection of the very social structures in place.
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