A strong preference for elite jobs was observed among parents from other countries, with elite jobs being most popular among parents in Tokyo, Taipei, New York, and Helsinki. (Image: Yonhap)
SEOUL, Feb. 20 (Korea Bizwire) — Around 6 in 10 South Korean parents want their children to be employed in high-paying professions, a new report has revealed.
The study concerning private education for infants polled a sample of 316 parents based in Seoul with children aged between 2 and 5, and discovered that 58.7 percent of the respondents hope that their children enter elite professions, according to the report released by Korea Institute of Child Care and Education on Monday.
While specialized professions with high wages were most popular, parents also held a favorable view of jobs in the arts, sports, media, education and technology, with over 1 in 10 parents wanting their children to be either an artist, an athlete, or a celebrity.
Occupational preference for children varied depending on the child’s gender, with parents of sons preferring their children to pursue elite careers, followed by office and technician jobs.
In the meantime, girls were expected to also aim for high-paying jobs, but the second most popular occupations were in the sectors of the arts, sports and media, followed by business management.
A strong preference for elite jobs was observed among parents from other countries, with elite jobs being most popular among parents in Tokyo, Taipei, New York, and Helsinki.
In Japan and Taiwan, however, office and technician jobs were the second most popular choices, while business management came out strong, drawing a contrast with South Korea where parents hoped that their children would become artists, athletes, or celebrities.
When asked about the duration of financial support for children, nearly half of South Korean parents believe until graduation from university, while just over 19 percent drew the line at finding employment.
When it comes to lifelong emotional support however, South Korean parents lagged behind their counterparts in all of the other four countries.
Only 48.4 percent said they would support their children emotionally for life, while the figure stood over 90 percent in Finland, the U.S. and Taiwan.
Hyunsu Yim (hyunsu@koreabizwire.com)
