The Social Exclusion of Child-Rearing Unwed Mothers in South Korea

Abstract

In South Korean society, child-rearing unwed mothers constitute a very specific minority. They enjoy no specific legal protections to exercise their right to keep and rear their children, nor are there any comprehensive policies in place to promote social acceptance and substantive inclusion of them and their children. This chapter provides an overview of the social exclusion of child-rearing unwed mothers in South Korea, attending to the ways in which legal and social frameworks intersect and have been at times mutually reinforcing. The authors outline and discuss concepts of unwed motherhood, widespread discrimination in multiple social contexts, legislation relevant to unwed mothers and t..