Interviewees wait in line at the KINTEX convention center in Goyang, near Seoul, on Aug. 5, 2021, to take part in interviews as part of this year’s recruitment of public servants. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, Aug. 11 (Korea Bizwire) — An increasing number of married women are simultaneously engaged in child-rearing, homemaking, and studying for government employee examinations.
An online study forum for government employee exams, with more than 350,000 members, has over 160 related posts written by female students.
Most of them are women who had to suspend their careers for child-rearing and homemaking.
Since it is difficult to return to the workforce following years of unemployment and a limited employment history, getting a better score in examinations is exceptionally critical for them to apply for government agencies as they take care of their homes and children.
The soaring cost of child-rearing and homemaking is making it increasingly difficult to depend solely on a single income, and unemployed spouses are being driven to make extra money.
They picked ‘exhaustion’ as the biggest problem in preparing for the exams.
“I stay up all night studying after I take care of the children and the home during the day. I simply can’t afford to concentrate on my studies,” said Eom Chae-eun, a 30-year-old homemaker preparing for a government employee examination as she takes care of her 4-month-old child.
Experts point out that the fundamental problem lies in the disadvantageous employment structure for women.
“The examinations for married women who already have or will suffer career interruptions are driven more by the need for survival than achieving self-realization,” said Jung Jae-hoon, a social welfare studies professor at Seoul Women’s University.
H. M. Kang (hmkang@koreabizwire.com)
