[Opinion] Absentee Fathers

According to research by Japan’s National Female Education Association, Korean fathers spend the least time with their children among six nations’ fathers. The average amount of time Korean fathers spend with their children per day is 2.8 hours, less than half of that of Thailand, 5.9 hours. What is surprising is the response of people to the research result. People say, “Do Korean fathers have quality time with their children of as much as 2.8 hours? Isn’t it 2.8 hours per week, not per day?”

Rambunctious children in public places are blamed on absent fathers. Children who spend little time with their fathers receive excessive protection from their mothers. Fathers who feel guilty about not spending sufficient time with their children become too tolerant to their children. Indulgent parents produce spoiled children. The association said, “It takes Korean and Japanese children longer time to learn table manners and self-reliance than children in other nations.”

The primary reason behind absentee fathers is long work hours. The proportion of fathers who work 49 hours per week is over 50 percent in Korea and Japan. The proportion of fathers who work for more than 60 hours is the highest in Korea. Other reasons include after-work group dining, zeal about education, and the wide availability of the Internet. Parents’ zeal about education leads to children studying in private institutes late into night, which means less time with fathers. Fathers work hard to pay for the private education fees for their children, which also means less time with their children.

Korean fathers say that if they leave the office on time they would be forced to quit their jobs. The business environment that is not family friendly and the failure of the public education are to blame, too. However, there is no point in blaming the environment. Not a few fathers make efforts to come home early on 6th every month to spend time with their children. Educational experts say that even meals with fathers make a big difference in children’s attitudes.

Chung Seong-hee, Editorial Writer, shchung@donga.com