edaily strategy forum

[Kim Mi-Kyung, Edaily Reporter] ¡°The issue is sustainability. Consistent family support policies are the solution to raising birthrates.¡±

Willem Adema, Senior Economist at the Social Policy Division of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (¡°OECD¡±), recently responded in a video interview with Edaily when asked about the priority measures to overcome South Korea¡®s low birth rate. Adema leads a team analyzing family, gender, and housing policies at the OECD Social Policy Division, headquartered in Paris, France.

Willem Adema, Senior Economist at the OECD(¨ÏMinistry of Health and Welfare).

He acknowledged the Korean government¡¯s institutional efforts in childcare but stressed, ¡°There must be trust that family policies will remain in place 10 or 15 years from now for people to choose to have children. Policies shouldn¡¯t change drastically every 2 or 3 years.¡± Stable and consistent policy implementation is paramount.

According to Willem Adema, France, which had a total fertility rate of 1.79 in 2020 and ranks among the highest in the OECD, hhas maintained consistent family policies for decades. In contrast, South Korea¡¯s fertility rate dropped to 0.75 last year, raising alarms about a demographic cliff. As the presidential election nears, Adema¡¯s critique of Korea¡¯s policy swings is especially pointed.

He cited long working hours, high private education costs, and persistent gender discrimination in the workplace as key causes of Korea¡¯s low birthrate. He stated, ¡°Long working hours make work?life balance difficult, contributing to a female employment rate below the OECD average. Moreover, Korea has the largest gender wage gap among OECD countries.¡±

Adema will deliver his keynote speech at the 16th Edaily Strategy Forum, themed ¡°Overturned Population Pyramid... Seeking Path for ¡¯Axis Shift¡®¡± at the Shilla Hotel in Seoul. Alongside Bronis©©aw Komorowski, former President of Poland, will offer global insights on demographic shifts. On the second day, the Edaily-PERI Special Symposium, hosted in collaboration with the Policy Evaluation Research Institute (PERI), will feature participation from three major U.S. think tanks - Brookings Institution, Urban Institute, and MDRC - presenting policy solutions to the accelerating crisis of local extinction amid low birthrates and aging populations.

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