Children may be allowed to take mother's surname
Children may be allowed to take their mother's surname, as the government plans to change the current system prioritizing paternal roots when determining a child's family name, according to the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, Tuesday.
Under South Korean law, children must take their biological father's surname, unless the parents had agreed at the time of marriage registration to use the mother's surname.
The Minister of Gender Equality and Family released a statement Tuesday in which it indicated that such a system may lead to "discriminatory perceptions among children of various families, such as unmarried and single parents."
The gender ministry said it will improve the system through discussions with the Ministry of Justice to allow couples to choose their child's surname when applying for birth registration, so that it will be easier for them to use a maternal family name.
The surname system was a part of a five-year plan on the framework of family, which was approved during a Cabinet meeting earlier in the day.
The framework, aimed at encouraging inclusivity by recognizing unconventional forms of family, will serve as a basis in structuring family-related policies over the next five years.
According to the plan, the ministry seeks to include various types of "family units" such as single-person households and unmarried cohabitating couples into the legal definition of a family.
The move comes as the rate of one-person households in 2019 grew to 30 percent from 23 percent in 2010, whereas the share of traditional nuclear families, consisting of a married couple and their children, has shrunk gradually to 30 percent from 37 percent in 2010, according to government data.
But the current Civil Law and Family Act defines family as based on marriage, and either childbirth or adoption. Other types such as unmarried cohabitating couples, roommates and single-person households are not legally recognized as "family," making them ineligible for some government support programs and benefits.
The authorities plan to expand the definition of family to include those in various relationships based on intimacy and care for each other, and eradicate discrimination against newly emerging types of households.
"As households are expected to diversify rapidly in the post-coronavirus era, it is vital to create an environment in which all forms of families are respected without suffering social discrimination or exclusion from governmental policies," Gender Minister Chung Young-ai said during a briefing, Tuesday.
source: The Korea Times
Under South Korean law, children must take their biological father's surname, unless the parents had agreed at the time of marriage registration to use the mother's surname.
The Minister of Gender Equality and Family released a statement Tuesday in which it indicated that such a system may lead to "discriminatory perceptions among children of various families, such as unmarried and single parents."
The gender ministry said it will improve the system through discussions with the Ministry of Justice to allow couples to choose their child's surname when applying for birth registration, so that it will be easier for them to use a maternal family name.
The surname system was a part of a five-year plan on the framework of family, which was approved during a Cabinet meeting earlier in the day.
The framework, aimed at encouraging inclusivity by recognizing unconventional forms of family, will serve as a basis in structuring family-related policies over the next five years.
According to the plan, the ministry seeks to include various types of "family units" such as single-person households and unmarried cohabitating couples into the legal definition of a family.
The move comes as the rate of one-person households in 2019 grew to 30 percent from 23 percent in 2010, whereas the share of traditional nuclear families, consisting of a married couple and their children, has shrunk gradually to 30 percent from 37 percent in 2010, according to government data.
But the current Civil Law and Family Act defines family as based on marriage, and either childbirth or adoption. Other types such as unmarried cohabitating couples, roommates and single-person households are not legally recognized as "family," making them ineligible for some government support programs and benefits.
The authorities plan to expand the definition of family to include those in various relationships based on intimacy and care for each other, and eradicate discrimination against newly emerging types of households.
"As households are expected to diversify rapidly in the post-coronavirus era, it is vital to create an environment in which all forms of families are respected without suffering social discrimination or exclusion from governmental policies," Gender Minister Chung Young-ai said during a briefing, Tuesday.
source: The Korea Times