Approximately 70% of South Koreans aged 25 to 44 believe that women should contribute to supporting their families through employment, highlighting a broader societal shift toward shared financial responsibilities and changing gender norms. (Image created by AI/ChatGPT)
SEOUL, April 16 (Korea Bizwire) — Roughly seven in ten South Koreans aged 25 to 44 believe women should work to help support their families, reflecting a growing societal shift toward shared economic responsibility and evolving gender roles, according to a new study released Wednesday.
The report, titled “Greater Flexibility in Life Course Outlooks and the Future of Family Policy”, was published by the Korean Women’s Development Institute (KWDI) and led by senior researcher Kim Eun-ji. The survey compared responses from 2,690 adults in 2025 with similar data from 2019, offering a longitudinal view of changing attitudes.
In 2025, 67.9% of men and 73.3% of women said women should work to help support their families—up from 57.2% and 65.4%, respectively, in 2019. The increase was notable across both genders, narrowing the gap in perception.
Support for women’s economic independence also rose sharply. The share of men who agreed that “having a job is the best way for a woman to lead an independent life” rose from 44.2% in 2019 to 63.5% in 2025. Among women, that number jumped from 69.3% to 80.7%.
Meanwhile, concerns that maternal employment harms children continued to decline. Only 22.6% of men and 18.4% of women now believe that mothers working while raising infants has a negative impact—down from 24.2% and 22.0%, respectively, in 2019.
When it comes to men’s caregiving roles, attitudes have shifted dramatically. In 2025, 68.8% of men agreed that “men now need to make time to care for family,” a sharp rise from 45.9% in 2019 when asked a similar question about men’s household responsibilities. Among women, the figure rose from 76.7% to 83.9%.
A child wearing a raincoat, following their dad on a walk.
The study also revealed a growing belief in the importance of parenthood for personal fulfillment. The share of men who said women need children to live a happy and fulfilling life doubled from 17.3% in 2019 to 34.7% in 2025; for women, it rose from 10.0% to 19.6%.
Likewise, 39.2% of men and 30.0% of women now believe that men need children for a fulfilling life—up from 19.0% and 12.6%, respectively.
Interestingly, when asked about life priorities in youth, both men and women in 2019 ranked work, personal life, partnership, and children in that order. In 2025, women maintained the same order, while men moved “partnership” ahead of “personal life,” indicating a subtle shift toward relational priorities.
Researcher Kim emphasized that growing support for men’s involvement in family roles could serve as a foundation for modernizing national family policies. “We need to shift the balance from the ‘traditional family’ model to a ‘new family’ model, one that better reflects evolving gender roles and shared responsibilities,” she said.
Lina Jang (linajang@koreabizwire.com)
