Ministry of Gender Equality & Family

From Working Man to

Countless studies prove high female participation in a country’s workforce is a key economic driver. For Korean men though, work is expected to come before family, leaving moms to take care of kids – and everything else – with no time to even think about continuing careers.
So we took a different approach. Instead of just trying to get Korean Moms to re-enter the workforce, we focused on getting Korean Dads to spend more time with their kids, so they could. We created Working Daddies, an integrated PR-led campaign using creative public-private partnerships to promote Work/Family balance.
[STEP 1] Analyzing working daddies’ issues through expert interviews
[STEP 2] Setting the agenda by collaborating with SBS “Oh! My Baby”
[STEP 3] Engaging businesses in spreading the agenda to the public
Since launch, the term Working Daddies has entered Korea’s cultural fabric with mentions in over 1,000 news articles, blogs and Tweets. The forum sparked widespread media discussion, valued at almost half-a-million US dollars.
And as a first step, the government has committed additional resources, including introduction of a Daddies’ Month and support centers for both working parents – so millions of Korean kids can enjoy more active time with their Daddies, and showing how lives improve when communities unite for positive change.