UN Women Knowledge and Partnerships Center in the Republic of Korea (UN Women)
UN Women Knowledge and Partnerships Center in the Republic of Korea (UN Women)

The UN Women Knowledge and Partnerships Center in Korea has signed a memorandum of understanding with Root Impact, a Seoul-based non-profit organization, to foster gender equality and advance a care-friendly workplace culture, with a focus on strengthening men’s caregiving capacities.

As part of their joint efforts, the two organizations will roll out the “Caring Fathers, Caring Workplaces” initiative starting in July. The project includes expert-led workshops for fathers and pilot programs within organizations to encourage paternal involvement in caregiving and build inclusive workplace environments. Joint research and activities to promote policy improvement will also take place.

The collaboration forms part of UN Women’s broader strategy across the Asia-Pacific region to transform care systems and challenge traditional gender roles in unpaid domestic work.

Despite growing interest from men in caregiving, data shows they continue to face structural barriers such as wage gaps and exclusion from parental leave policies. In Korea, only 30 percent of parental leave recipients are male, according to government data.

“We expect this partnership to generate new momentum by connecting Korea’s social innovation ecosystem with UN Women’s global agenda,” said Root Impact CEO Heo Jae-hyong. “We are committed to achieving meaningful and practical change through setting tangible objectives to address gender imbalance in caregiving responsibilities."

Maria Holtsberg, Deputy Regional Director of UN Women Asia-Pacific, added, “Through this partnership, we hope to strengthen fathers’ caregiving capacities and create effective policies to build care-friendly organizations. We believe this initiative can serve as a catalyst for a sustainable care society across the region.”


jychoi@heraldcorp.com