The South Korean government on Tuesday reported record-high employment rates for married women, with officials and media outlets crediting the increase to the Yoon Suk-yeol administration’s recent birth rate and childcare policies. Employment among married women aged 15 to 54 reached 66%, a 1.7 percentage point rise from last year.

However, those figures belie a more nuanced reality. While the employment rate for women with children has generally increased, mothers with children under six remain less likely to work, and over one in five women with underage children report significant career disruption.

This reality highlights the need for a deeper