Working Mothers Often Quit Jobs Once Kids Start Schooling

Working mothers tend to quit their jobs when their children start schooling, according to a recent survey by the Korea Institute of Child Care and Education.

The proportion of mothers with full-time jobs was 80 percent among those who have preschool kids, but it dropped to 61 percent once their preschool years end, meaning that many working mothers either reduced their working hours or turned to part-time jobs as they needed to spend more time taking care of their children.

The average working hours per week dropped from 37.7 hours to 33.8 hours, while monthly income naturally fell from W2.15 million to W1.56 million (US$1=W1,116).

Kindergarteners or preschoolers spend an average of 7.08 hours per day at nurseries, so most of their mothers can keep their full-time jobs. But the first graders of primary school spend an average of 5.54 hours in school, so their mothers have to get off from work early or switch to part-time jobs to take care of them. Otherwise, they have to end up quitting their jobs.