Seoul: The government authorities in Seoul received major criticism from the internet after dispensing what social media users perceived as “patriarchal and misogynistic” advice on childbirth to women.
The article was published in the Seoul Pregnancy and Childbirth Information Centre. The pregnancy guidelines were first posted in 2019, but they caught the public attention recently, after screenshots were circulated.
The guideline suggests a pregnant woman should “serve” their husbands and families. According to The New York Times, the article suggests that before giving birth, a woman should prepare ready-made meals for her husband as he may not be “good at cooking”.
Additionally, a woman should tie up their hair “so that they don’t look dishevelled”.
It also encouraged women to keep “small size” clothes or nice clothes they wore before marriage nearby to keep weight in check after childbirth as they will “need motivation not to take that extra bite”. The original text on the site reportedly suggested, “When you feel like you would like to eat more than you need to, or skip exercising, you get motivated by looking at the clothes.”
The guidelines also asked women to check all the household essentials before childbirth so that the family members would “not be uncomfortable.” Apart from asking women to look attractive for their husbands throughout the pregnancy, it also asked women to clean out the fridge, prepare meals and find someone to care for their other children.
The advice made no mention of any responsibilities for husbands.
Following the guidelines, citizens started a petition demanding a public apology from the author and disciplinary action to be taken against those responsible. Till now, more than 22,000 people have signed the petition.
Dr Kim Jae-yean, the Chairman of the Korean Association of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists said, “I think it is written by someone who never gave birth (sic).”
Woo Sang-ho, a lawmaker of the governing Democratic Party, wrote on Facebook, “It is awkward that the anachronistic admonition on how pregnant women should serve their families is still being distributed on a site operated by the city of Seoul. This is a story that can never come out if women are recognized as equal rights subjects.”
Seoul Mayor Candidate, Ji-Hye Shin wrote, “Seoul city, we ask you to make a full change of the page right away.”
A Twitter user wrote, “Isn’t a husband supposed to help his wife (through) full term of childbirth?” One person wrote, “Why are we looking for the cause of the low birthrate from far away? It’s right here.” Another commented, “Who made this guideline? There are lots of things to be corrected.”
The public health division of the Seoul city government told The New York Times that it felt “responsible for not reviewing and monitoring the contents, approved at the time, thoroughly and closely.” It added that it would review the online content, and improve gender-sensitivity training for all municipal employees.
Though some offensive parts have been removed from the article, some advice remains on the site. The article comes at time when Seoul is already dealing with the world’s lowest birthrate.
https://www.indiatoday.in/trending-news/story/seoul-govt-advises-pregnant-women-to-cook-stay-thin-for-husband-internet-reacts-1758713-2021-01-13