Should the government subsidize women who must give up opportunities to work in order to have babies? Some are against this stance that the government is responsible for child-bearing women, whereas others believe that the government must assist in allowing them to have children and their own jobs. I agree with the latter stance and present my reasons below.
First, countless married couples in Korea do not want to have more than two children. The main reason for this preference is that raising a child requires a huge sum of money. Often, when a woman is pregnant, she worries about the financial burden related to giving birth. To illustrate, she may need to quit or resign from her job; thus, her income will decrease. In addition to this loss, she will be required to spend vast amounts of money to raise her child. Because Korean couples do not want to have many children, the government should encourage them to have as many babies as possible by giving them appropriate subsidies.
Even if you assume the above scenario is very plausible, some may disagree with my view primarily because this subsidy would increase taxes. The government’s subsidy would be backed by our taxes, which will cause all of us to be pressed for money. I agree with this rebuttal. I still, however, support my position because there is a more important matter to consider: Korea will face a difficult future unless we, Korean people, have as many babies as we have had in the past.
These days, the population in Korea is decreasing. In an attempt to increase the population, the Korean government established a policy to help married couples who have more than three children. This effort is attributed to boosting the Korean economy. The fewer babies we have, the worse our economy will become. Accordingly, the government must subsidize Korean women who give up their jobs to have children. This will foster the birth of many babies throughout Korea. If women are supported by the government, they will be free to raise their children.
To summarize, although each person may hold a different position on this issue, all things considered, I firmly believe that married people should be peculiarly supported by the government. I believe this because the Korean economy will be devastated if we don’t have babies; the subsidizing policy allows Korean people to have children and helps them with the money they need to do so.
