Yoon's low birthrate policies unwelcomed by citizens 시민들이 환영하지 않는 저출산 대책

[김우정]

지난주 발표한 정부의 저출산정책이 왜 환영을 받지 못할까요?
전문가들은 문제의 핵심이 장시간노동과 높은 생활비에 있다고 주장합니다.
많은 여성들이 우리나라에서 둘째를 낳는 것은 불가능하다고 말합니다.
근로시간을 단축하고 경력단절을 해결할 현실적인 대책이 필요합니다.
지난 정책을 재탕, 삼탕하는 것보다 새로운 정책을 pilot project를 통한 점진적인 시행이 요구됩니다. 
 
Yoon's low birthrate policies unwelcomed by citizens
시민들이 환영하지 않는 윤정부의 저출산 정책

By Lee Hae-rin 이혜린 기자
Posted : 2024-06-21 17:20 Updated : 2024-06-22 22:20
Korea Times

President Yoon Suk Yeol speaks during a meeting of the Presidential Committee on Ageing Society and Population Policy on the demographic crisis in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, Wednesday. Yonhap 윤석열 대통령이 수요일 경기 성남시 인구위기 관련 대통령 직속 고령사회 및 인구정책위원회 회의에 참석해 발언하고 있다. 연합

'Government seems to be telling parents to work more instead of raising children'
'정부는 부모들에게 아이들을 키우는 대신 일하라고 말하는 것 같다'

The Yoon Suk Yeol administration's recently announced set of countermeasures against the plummeting birthrate is facing cynical and skeptical responses from citizens. They said the plans, which include expansion of maternity and paternity leaves and afterschool child care programs, are only fragmentary solutions that cannot fundamentally solve the underlying cause of the demographic crisis.
윤석열 정부가 최근 발표한 출산율 급감에 대한 일련의 대책은 시민들로부터 냉소적이고 회의적인 반응에 직면해 있다. 그들은 출산휴가 및 육아휴직 확대와 방과 후 보육 프로그램 등을 포함한 이 계획들이 인구 위기의 근본적인 원인을 해결하지 못하는 단편적인 해결책에 불과하다고 말했다.

Critics cited chronic problems of long working hours and high living costs in the country as the key causes of the problem, calling on policymakers to have a clearer perspective and come up with more substantial and effective countermeasures for the long term.
비판론자들은 문제의 핵심원인으로 국내의 장시간 노동과 높은 생활비라는 고질적인 문제를 꼽으며 정책 입안자들이 보다 명확한 시각을 갖고 장기적으로 보다 실질적이고 효과적인 대책을 마련할 것을 요구했다.

A woman surnamed Jeon, an office worker living in Seoul’s Dongjak District and a mother of a 2-year-old boy, said child-rearing has been a challenge, as it is physically impossible for a dual-income couple to spend time with their kid in Korea.
서울 동작구에 사는 회사원이자 두 살배기 남자아이의 엄마인 전모씨는 맞벌이 부부가 한국에서 아이와 시간을 보내는 것은 물리적으로 불가능하기 때문에 육아가 힘든 일이었다고 말했다.

She and her husband have a maximum of an hour or two to spend together with their son during weekdays after work, which makes it impossible to have an emotional connection with him.
그녀와 남편은 퇴근 후 평일에 아들과 함께 보낼 수 있는 시간이 최대 1~2시간 정도여서 아들과의 정서적 교감이 불가능하다.

“It is unimaginable to have a second child in this country,” she said.
그녀는 "이 나라에서 둘째 아이를 갖는다는 것은 상상할 수 없는 일"이라고 말했다.

“It’s even questionable whether the expansion of afterschool child care programs is a low birthrate policy, because the government seems to be telling parents to work more instead of raising their children. The fundamental solution is to shorten working hours, but the government seems to prefer opening more child care facilities while the working hours remain long.”
방과후 돌봄사업 확대가 저출산 정책인지조차 의문인데, 정부가 아이들을 키우는 대신 부모들에게 일을 더 하라고 하는 것처럼 보이기 때문이다. 근본적인 해결책은 근로시간 단축인데 정부는 근로시간이 긴 상태에서 보육시설을 더 많이 여는 것을 선호하는 것 같다.

Korea has the world’s lowest total fertility rate at 0.65, which means the average number of children a woman will have in her lifetime is well below the replacement rate. Seoul’s birthrate has sunk to 0.55. If this trend continues, the nation’s population is projected to halve by 2100.
한국은 0.65명으로 세계에서 가장 낮은 합계출산율을 가지고 있는데, 이것은 여성 한 명이 일생 동안 갖게 될 평균 자녀 수가 대체율보다 훨씬 낮다는 것을 의미한다. 서울의 출산율은 0.55명으로 떨어졌다. 이 추세가 계속된다면, 한국의 인구는 2100년까지 절반으로 줄어들 것으로 예상된다.

Regarding this, the government declared a "national demographic emergency" on Wednesday, announcing the countermeasures, which also included easing standards for income from special loans for households with newborns.
이와 관련해 정부는 19일 신생아 가구의 특별대출 소득 기준을 완화하는 내용을 담은 대책을 발표하며 '국가 인구 비상사태'를 선포했다.

President Yoon said at the time that the country will “operate a pan-national task force to overcome the low birthrate issues,” speaking of the ancient Spartan empire which he said went extinct after a demographic crisis.
당시 윤 대통령은 인구위기 이후 소멸된 고대 스파르타 제국에 대해 언급하며 "저출산 문제를 극복하기 위한 범국민 태스크포스(TF)를 운영할 것,"이라고 말했다.
 

Officials are seen at the Presidential Committee on Ageing Society and Population Policy within the Government Complex Seoul, May 10. Yonhap 5월10일 정부 서울청사 내 대통령 직속 고령사회 및 인구정책위원회에서 관계자들이 모습을 보이고 있다. 연합

However, many view that the announcement was nothing new and only a repetition of existing policies.
하지만 이번 발표는 새로운 것이 아니며 기존 정책을 반복한 것일 뿐이라는 시각이 많다.

Another Seoul-based office worker surnamed Lee, 32, said, “Not many young women in their 20s and 30s want to get married and have children” out of concerns over the high cost of living and career interruption.
서울에 사는 또 다른 직장인 이모씨(32)는 생활비가 많이 들고 경력 단절이 우려된다는 이유로 "20~30대 젊은 여성들이 결혼해서 아이를 갖고 싶어하는 경우가 많지 않다"고 말했다.

“No matter how hard we work, we will never make enough to afford to own a home. It’s completely unreasonable to spend all that money to get married and have a child then have my career ruined, but the government doesn’t seem to care about that,” she said.
그는 "아무리 열심히 일해도 집을 가질 여유가 없을 것"이라며 "그 많은 돈을 써서 결혼하고 아이를 낳고 내 경력을 망치는 것은 전적으로 불합리하지만 정부는 그런 것에 대해 신경 쓰지 않는 것 같다"고 말했다.

A 35-year-old Seoul resident surnamed Jeong, who has been married for over two years, also said she does not see herself having a child in Korea in this lifetime as childbirth seems like it will put her into “the start of an endless economic vicious cycle.”
결혼한 지 2년이 넘은 서울 거주자 정모씨(35)도 출산이 '끝없는 경제 악순환의 시작'에 빠지게 할 것 같아 이번 생에는 한국에서 아이를 낳지 못한다고 말했다.

“It’s difficult to afford living as a three-person household as a single-income family in Seoul,” she said, explaining that she and her husband chose to keep living a child-free life in the capital where there are better job opportunities, despite expensive housing costs.
그는 "서울에서 외벌이 가정으로는 3인 가구로 살기 힘들다"며 남편과 함께 비싼 주거비에도 불구하고 더 좋은 취업 기회가 있는 수도에서 계속 아이 없는 삶을 살기로 했다고 설명했다.

Others questioned the sincerity of the Yoon government over the issue, as it has been pushing to abolish the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family.
다른 이들은 윤 정부가 여성가족부 폐지를 추진하는 등 이 문제에 대한 진정성에 의문을 제기했다.

“The government plans to abolish the gender equality ministry and neglects the important roles it plays in family and women’s issues, an online commenter wrote. "It seems ridiculous that the government would attempt to deal with the demographic crisis without it."
한 온라인 댓글 작성자는 "정부는 양성평등부를 폐지할 계획이며 가족과 여성 문제에서 그것이 수행하는 중요한 역할을 소홀히 하고 있다며 "정부가 그것 없이 인구위기에 대처하려고 시도한다는 것은 우스꽝스러워 보인다"고 썼다.

#Lowbirthrate저출산 #Countermeasures대책 #Maternityandpaternityleaves출산휴가및육아휴직 #Afterschoolchildcareprograms방과후보육프로그램 #Longworkinghours장시간노동 #Highlivingcosts높은생활비 #Totalfertilityrate합계출산율 #Nationaldemographicemergency국가인구비상사태 #Taskforce태스크포스 #GenderEqualityMinistry양성평등부