You got downvoted - maybe people read you as arguing for a return to the old ways and days - but I find your basic argument that two people working 40+ hours ca

You got downvoted - maybe people read you as arguing for a return to the old ways and days - but I find your basic argument that two people working 40+ hours can have a very hard time fitting the infant years of child-rearing into their time table quite compelling. Doing a good job as a parent requires time. If you don't have any it can be hard to reconcile it with your conscience. Korean work culture is particularly demanding (I've lived there) and unforgiving when it comes to private matters interfering with work performance. I'll grant you it's a factor. Few couples manage to pull this off without one partner stopping to work (and it's usually the woman). Increasingly few people want to do so. If we want this to be different, I think we do have to change the time equation society-wide. Korean society today places virtually no importance on giving adults the time they need to have and raise kids. Koreans themselves will more often cite economic reasons, but this is basically by proxy - the economics don't work out if you don't put the hours into work, etc. The success machine is feeding itself.