81% Support Paternity Leave, Yet Only 46% Encourage Colleagues to Take It

[Economy 365]

While social support for paternity leave is high, the atmosphere encouraging its actual use remains insufficient.

A survey of 900 full-time employees conducted by the Korea Institute of Public Finance found that 81.4% of respondents were in favor of men taking paternity leave.

However, only 46.4% of respondents said they would encourage a male colleague to take paternity leave, which is lower than the 63.2% who would encourage a female colleague to take maternity leave.

The research team analyzed that this is due to concerns over increased workloads, difficulties in securing substitute personnel, and performance pressure when a colleague takes leave.

The study also found that the more employees perceive it as difficult to fill the personnel gap caused by childcare leave, the lower their level of support for paternity leave becomes.

The researchers suggested that to promote paternity leave, it is necessary to not only expand the system but also provide support for substitute personnel and improve organizational culture.

*This article was produced with AI audio.
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.