This file photo shows people crossing a street in Seoul. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, June 13 (Korea Bizwire) — A recent poll showed that men and female have different perceptions about the seriousness of the low birthrate in South Korea.
Gallup Korea conducted a nationwide survey of 1,002 people between 19 and 29 years of age, among which 66 percent believed the low birthrate was a ‘very serious issue’ and 31 percent said it was ‘somewhat a serious issue’.
Among those who believed the low birthrate was a ‘very serious issue’, 74 percent were men and 56 percent were women, indicating a different perception between genders.
Less than 50 percent of women in their 20s (40 percent) and 30s (49 percent) believed the low birthrate was a ‘very serious issue’.
Among those who had ‘high interest’ in the issue of a low birthrate, 38 percent were men and 24 percent were women.
Sorted by age, men in their 50s had a high interest in the issue of a low birthrate (47 percent), while women in their 20s and 30s had the lowest interest in the issue (10 percent).
Respondents believed that the low birthrate was mainly caused by the financial burden of rearing a child (58 percent). Others blamed income fluctuation caused by unstable employment (44 percent), individualism (35 percent), the exorbitant cost of housing (22 percent) and career interruption for women (17 percent).
Both men and women in their 20s and 30s also said the low birthrate resulted primarily from the financial burden of child-rearing (47 and 53 percent, respectively), while they had different thoughts about employment instability (62 percent of men, 38 percent of women) and career interruption for women (4 percent of men, 36 percent of women).
Another 7 in 10 respondents believed there is insufficient government support for childbirth and child-rearing.
H. M. Kang (hmkang@koreabizwire.com)
