<목욜정모> February15th, 2007 Thursday meeting's Topic

[주영이]

오늘의 주제는 아이들의 교육에 관해서 살짝 올려봤는데요..

주제 패턴이 비슷해 지고 있는 것 같아요..ㅜㅜ

그리고 제가 지금 글쓰고 있는 지금은 아직 발렌타인데이를 하루 앞두고 있는데요

목요 모임때는 이미 하루가 지난 날이 되네요.. 그래도 살짝 여러분들의

이야기를 듣고 싶어서 몇개 올려 보았습니다..

그럼 이번주도 즐겁게~~☆

Work and family

Korea Herald 07.01.22

This weekend's news of the death of two brothers, aged 15 and 11, in a house fire is just another reminder of why Korea suffers from the lowest birthrate in the world today.

When the fire started in a two-story house in Busan at about 1 a.m. on Friday, the boys were asleep in their room. Their father, a laborer working in Ulsan, and their mother, who works at a restaurant in the evenings, were both not at home.

The boys could still have died even if one of their parents had been home at the time. However, there is also a chance that they could have been led safely out of the house instead of dying from smoke inhalation.

This is not the first time that such a tragic incident has occurred. There have been many cases where children, left by themselves while their parents were at work, have perished in fires.

The couple cannot escape blame for leaving their children to their own devices but many working parents have no other alternative. Government child care is scarce while private child care is out of reach for most lower-income parents. Workplace child care centers are rare and 24-hour child care facilities are virtually nonexistent. How are families to be persuaded to have more children when child care facilities are so lacking?

The French government last week announced that France now probably has the highest birthrate in the European Union, with latest census figures showing that each woman is having an average of two babies. France had recorded falling birthrates since 1980 but managed to reverse the trend after 1994. Behind their success is a huge government investment - about 3 percent of gross national product has been channeled into efforts to boost birthrates.

The Korean government last year announced its own plan to encourage families to have more children, allocating more than 18.9 trillion won ($20.4 billion) through 2010 to a range of new policies.

However, the government should examine where that money will be best spent to achieve its goal. As it stands, the government plan focuses on encouraging women to have more children, rather than helping families to raise children.

When families are disinclined to have children because of the high costs of upbringing and education, prenatal care subsidies and monthly allowances mean very little.

In France, it was working women in their 30s who were responsible for the increase in birthrates. French women managed to have babies and continue working because of a range of family-friendly policies. For example, working women are entitled to three years of child care leave but are encouraged with financial incentives to return to the workforce earlier. The scheme works for both the employee and the employer as the longer the leave, the less likely a new mother returns to work. Not returning to work leads to a lower household income, discouraging women from having more children.

In Korea, a survey of 568 employed women and 212 businesses showed that in companies with 100 or fewer employees, only 26 percent of women fully used their 90-day maternity leave. Increased workloads for colleagues, job uncertainty and company customs were cited as the main reasons for not fully using maternity leave.

Of the women who were surveyed, 324 left work within a year, 95 percent leaving their jobs involuntarily. Even among women who returned after maternity leave, more than 30 percent were considering leaving for involuntary reasons.

Korea's low birthrate is a serious issue which will determine the future of the country. Cases elsewhere have repeatedly shown that when more women are working, birthrates increase. Instead of focusing on getting women to have more children, the government should concentrate on formulating and implementing family-friendly business policies.

1. Parents are the best teacher. Do you agree or disagree with this?

2. Do you think a person's Childhood years (the time from birth to twelve years of age) are the

most important years of a person's life?

3. What are some of the qualities of a good parent?

4. What are the important qualities of a good son or daughter? Have these qualities changed or

remained the same over time in your culture?

5. A gift (such as a camera, a soccer ball, or an animal) could contribute to a child's

development. What gift would you give to help a child develop?

6. Do you think Children should be required to help with tasks as soon as they are able to

 do so?

7. It is better for child to grow up in countryside than in a big city. Do you agree this?

If you agree, can you move to countryside for your child's education?

About Valentine's Day

Even though Valentine's Day already passed, I want to hear about your memorable stories.^^

1. If you are a woman, did you give chocolate to your boy friend or just friends? What kind of

presents or events did you prepare for the day?

2. If you are a man, did you get chocolate from your girl friend or friends?

3. Please tell us your the most rememberable Valentine's day story or event?

4. How much money is resonable for Valentine's day present?

5. What do you think about the people who buy exorbitant chocolate to show up their

 love?

6. What's the meaning of Valentine's or White day to you?

[파리넬리]

수고했어~ ^^

[신선영]

토픽이 다 그런거 아니겠어?ㅋㅋ 수고했고,,이번주 토픽 잼있어.목요일날 보자고,.^^

[Fallnari]

고마워요, 부회장님 ^^

[진환 a.k.a JIN]

Vice president!!! You are the most thankful person to me. :-) Good job!

[nick]

VP~! I am sure that you will get a prescious something in the coming future.