□ KoPHWA announced the results of its new survey, “Fathers’ Parenting: Ideals vs. Reality,” conducted to assess fathers’ actual involvement in childcare and identify areas where additional support is needed amid growing expectations for paternal participation.

□ The survey, conducted from October 14 to 26 among 418 men raising minor children, examined differences between expectations and reality before and after becoming a parent.

○ Before exploring ideal and real parenting behaviors, the survey assessed fathers’ recognition of and confidence in their parental roles. Findings revealed highly positive self-perceptions, with most respondents expressing pride in fatherhood.

○ This indicates a meaningful progress in how men perceive themselves as equal partners in childcare.

□ The key findings are as follows:

【 Ideal vs. Real Images of Fatherhood 】

○ Ideal father images

- Featured keywords were “friend” (19.4%), followed by “play” (14.0%), “together” (9.9%), “affectionate” (9.1%), and “communication” (6.5%).

○ Real-life father images

- However, real-life image keywords were “busy” (15.1%), “weekend” (8.3%), “tired” (7.0%), “exhausted” (6.5%), and “scolding” (5.4%).

○ Ideal vs. Real Images analysis

- Analysis showed that while 99% of ideal father images reflected positive sentiment, 75% of real-life descriptions were negative, revealing a contrast between expectations and lived experience.

- When asked to explain the gap, respondents cited challenges such as fatigue from demanding work schedules, childcare being harder and more unpredictable than expected, and a lack of personal rest leading to emotional strain.

【 Childcare Domains: Ideals vs. Reality 】

○ Areas where fathers believed they would excel

- “Play” ranked highest at 44.3%, followed by education (13.4%), cooking (11.7%), and physical activities (10.5%).

○ Areas in which fathers felt most confident in reality

- Activities related to 'childcare and other tasks (such as cleaning, dishwashing, etc.)' (22.5%) and 'play' (21.1%) were found to be at similar levels, indicating that fathers tend to feel more confident in the area of household support rather than direct childcare.

○ The most difficult area

- The most difficult domain was education (32.1%), including discipline and guidance, followed by cooking (19.6%), play (17.7%), and sleep-related routines (10.5%).

【 Fathers’ Desired Areas of Childcare Support 】

○ Desired areas of support needed for better childcare

- Fathers expressed a strong need for “Financial support” (33.5%), “Policy support (28.5%)”, “Counseling and educational programs” (20.4%), “Childcare services” (16.3%).

- Excluding policy-related categories, psychological counseling and parenting education emerged as the most desired forms of support.

□ The survey reveals a wide disparity between fathers’ visions of ideal parenting and the actual challenges they face. Findings suggest that bridging this gap will require not only financial and policy interventions but also educational and psychological support to enhance fathers’ parenting competence.

□ “Korean fathers clearly aspire to be deeply involved in childcare, yet real-life constraints, especially limited time and emotional fatigue, make it difficult,” said Lee Samsik, President of KoPHWA. He also stated, “KoPHWA is committed to strengthening practical support, including fathering programs, to help fathers build confidence and grow as active participants in childcare.”

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