KWDI Korean Women’s Development Institute

Korea has faced serious social problem on low birth rates. Yet, it is not sufficient for our government to care for female workers when they go through pregnancy and delivery. Recently, Korea has witnessed that nurses lost the court case, even though they got diseases due to unsafe working places which has been proved through the epidemiological study. Under the context above, this study aimed for examining environment of working places among female workers as well as their exposure to dangerous working conditions affecting physical, muscloskeletal, and mental diseases as well as degree of hard work during their pregnant periods. For speaking of methods, this study employed both quantitative and qualitative analysis. The study used the secondary data to prove the study goals quantitatively. Also, the study used an in-depth interview for possible victims suffering from risky working places. Based on the results of the two analysis, the study found that law and institutional impracticality in providing assistance to female workers during their pregnancy and delivery period, although we found evidence such as increasing rates of abortion up to now and existing exposure to the dangerous working conditions, etc. Thus, the study suggested policy agendas for better law and institutional system for safety and health of female workers.