Marriage and Housing (CG). (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
SEOUL, May 21 (Korea Bizwire) – A growing number of young South Koreans are expressing a willingness to marry and have children, marking a shift in societal attitudes amid the country’s ongoing battle with low birth rates.
According to survey results released Tuesday by the Presidential Committee on Ageing Society and Population Policy, the share of women aged 25 to 49 who intend to marry rose to 57.4% in 2025, up nearly 10 percentage points from 48.2% a year earlier.
Among women in their 20s—historically the most skeptical toward marriage—those with a positive view of marriage rose to 61%, while those expressing an intent to marry climbed to 64%.
Overall, 65.2% of respondents—both men and women—said they intend to marry, up from 61.0% in March 2024. The third installment of the nationwide survey, conducted from March 31 to April 10, 2025, included 2,650 individuals aged 25 to 49 and tracked changing perceptions on marriage, childbirth, parenting, and government policy.
The survey also revealed a rebound in childbirth intentions. Respondents who said children are a necessary part of life rose from 61.1% to 70.9% over the past year, while those who said they plan to have children increased from 32.6% to 39.7%.
Shift in Attitudes: Marriage and Childbirth Intentions Rise Among South Korean Youth (Image supported by ChatGPT)
Parental satisfaction with state-supported childcare services was notably high, with 94% of parents with infants and 94.1% of those with elementary-aged children expressing satisfaction. Key areas for improvement included expanded cost subsidies for infant care (63.4%) and better program quality for school-aged children (70.6%).
When asked what policies would most ease the burden of childrearing for dual-income families, respondents cited more flexible workplace cultures allowing for childcare-related leave (55.6%), expanded access to care services (39.8%), and stronger legal guarantees for parental time off (36.3%).
Housing emerged as the most important and widely recognized policy priority in addressing the low birthrate. A significant 77% of respondents said they were aware of government plans to expand housing for newlyweds and families with children, while 76.7% believed such measures would be effective.
Other highly supported initiatives included free preschool and childcare programs (75.3%), and expanded eligibility for special newborn-related loans (74.9%).
Respondents also called for higher parental leave pay ceilings (53.5%), increased tax benefits for families (52.2%), more government-supported babysitting services (47.8%), and looser income limits for home purchase or rental assistance (45.1%).
Joo Hyung-hwan, Vice Chairman of the committee, cautioned that the encouraging shift in sentiment must be sustained through structural reforms: “The momentum could easily weaken. To ensure this isn’t a short-lived rebound, we must address deep-rooted issues like youth job insecurity and excessive population concentration in the capital region.”
M. H. Lee (mhlee@koreabizwire.com)
