(image: Korea Bizwire)
SEOUL, March 3 (Korea Bizwire) — The COVID-19 pandemic is devastating the family economy, resulting in a higher number of family disputes, data released by a provider of free legal consultation services showed Wednesday.
The Korea Legal Aid Center for Family Relations reportedly oversaw 4,616 consultations for divorce, 75.3 percent (3,475 cases) of which were from women.
Last year’s divorce consultations went up by 8.9 percent from the previous year (4,239 cases). The center explained that the pandemic has exacerbated family disputes caused by psychological or economic reasons.
At 48.8 percent, almost half of female clients, in particular, have been subject to domestic violence by their husbands.
Many of them claimed that the pandemic has nurtured a sense of depression and frustration, and spending extensive hours indoors has exposed them to a higher risk of family disputes.
The pandemic has also been taking a toll on family finances. Last year, 9.6 percent of female and 7.8 percent of male clients sought consultations for disputes caused by financial reasons.
Consultations for so-called ‘gray divorce’ among couples over 60 years of age have also been on a steep climb.
The proportion of female clients over 60 years of age grew from 4.5 percent in 2001 to 9.2 percent in 2011 and a whopping 25.7 percent last year.
The proportion of male clients over 60 years of age grew from 7.7 percent in 2001 to 15 percent in 2011 and 47.7 percent last year.
H. M. Kang (hmkang@koreabizwire.com)
