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Scientific Motherhood in South Korea is the belief that women need scientific and expert advice in order to properly raise a child. It discredits a mother’s intuition and generations of knowledge accumulated by mothers. Pregnant women and mothers are given unrealistic expectations for what it takes to ensure their child’s safety and success. The basis of these expectations were developed in the 19th century and have progressed with the technological advances to the present day.

There are three different types of scientific motherhood; "Wise Mother", "Competitive Mother", and "Pro Mother". [1] A “wise mother”[1] values hygiene and discipline. This stems from the effects of the Korean War which many people lived in poor conditions. This type of scientific motherhood emerged as a way to promote healthier living conditions, thus explaining their emphasis on hygiene and discipline. A “competitive mother”[1] seeks professional advice in order to have their child become the most successful. A “pro mother”[1] is a mother who is a consumer of commercial advice and believes that since she listens to that knowledge, she is now an expert in that knowledge.Although the burden is on the mothers, success is attributed to the medical assistance and advice but, if the mother fails, it is only her fault. In the modern South Korea, scientific motherhood has been manifested in the cord blood bank industry, relying on mothers seeking the best scientific and medical expertise to solidify their mothering.

'''Historical Context

19th century'''

In the United States, there was shift that enforced that women were now in charge of ensuring the health for their families but couldn't find out how to do so without the help of professional expertise. "Women were both responsible for their families and incapable of that responsibility."[2] It enforced the gender stereotype of women not being intelligent or strong enough to successfully take care of their children, despite doing it for centuries. Women and families had to rely on the scientific knowledge production of doctors and scientists instead of other mothers who share experiences. In the late 19th century, American Protestant missionaries arrived in Korea with the role as 'women educators.'[3] Missionaries wanted to liberalize women under the Confucius gender roles because they saw Korean women as subservient, uneducated and oppressed. Because Korean women wanted to become empowered and educated it allowed missionaries to westernize Korean motherhood. With this modernization, there was a new emphasis on how science was needed in order to properly care for their child and families.

20th century

In 1910, Korea became colonized by Japan. Under this colonial rule, the Japanese government enforced that women should be obedient mothers and wives. Girls were educated on domestic duties and the gender roles they needed to live out. There was a movement that prioritized "efficiency, hygiene, and professional housewifery"[1] Just because a woman gave birth, did not mean that woman was equipped to raise it successfully. Women had to be trained. Women of middle or upper class were targeted with scientific motherhood because access to education and the scientific and technological advancements. The concept of the Wise Mother emerged after Korea gained its independence in 1945. During the Korean war, many people were in poverty and scientific motherhood served as an attempt to revive family constructs. It focused on housework, family conservatism, and hygiene but through a professional lens. Simple tasks, such as feeding, became subject to professional advice and no longer traditional motherly practices. "Scientific discourse tended to devalue the traditional knowledge of infant care shared among women and passed down from one generation to the next."[1]

The concept of Competitive Mother emerged in the 1960's as a result of "overcoming national poverty and...industrialization of the economy and control of population growth."[1] Achievement became the priority and that dwindled down into mother-child relationships. Women's priority became ensuring their child was successful. There was a strong emphasis on ensuring the best education for their children. If the child was unsuccessful in school, the fault would be at the mother for not trying hard enough and not the individual child.

The concept of Pro Mother emerged in result of women seeking the best information in order to appear as pseudo-experts in motherhood. This type of scientific motherhood focused on the economic gain that stemmed from mothers seeking the best information and best products, such as baby food and baby toys. It didn't matter if the knowledge was true, but as long as it was marketed as such. Women blindly spent money on what they believed was necessary in order to be the best mother. With this, children were now subjected to high standards such as excelling in school or in extra curricular.

Cord Blood Banking

In the modern day, South Korea uses scientific motherhood as the psychological basis to upkeep the cord blood banking market. Cord blood banking allows for women to choose to save their child’s umbilical cords, storing them in a bank. Parents have the option to either privately or publicly store the cord blood. Public donation (ki-jung)[4] is cord blood that is used for stem research and transplants. Private storing is used for the family (Ka-jok)[4] which allows the parents to access their cords in case their child or another family member needs it for medical treatment later in life. Kong-yo[4] is a combination of private and public storing.

Unknown risks

Cord Blood Banking is advertised as not having any risks. In order to undergo this process, the cord blood is captured in the third stage of labor[4]. During this stage of pregnancy, hemorrhaging and shock are very likely. If the cord is clamped too early, there is an increased risk of neonatal anemia.

Political Economy of Hope and Exploitation

Cord blood banks target mothers in vulnerable positions, usually those who are young and have a short amount of time to make the decision. Marketers emphasize the promise of a future for their kids and the extent parents, especially mothers, should do in order to ensure the safety and longevity of their child. It is seen as a risk management or an insurance towards their child’s well being. In South Korea, it is common for families to only have one or two children, marketers use this to emphasize the vitality of this process because since there is less children, parents should go the extra mile to ensure the safety of their kids. If a mother refuses, she can be shamed into not doing enough to protect her child. She is seen as going against the scientific motherhood philosophy. If a mother doesn’t store her cord blood, then she is neglecting a step in the childbirth process.