The percentage of families willing to support their children until they’re married plunged from 20.4 percent in 2012 to 8.8 percent in 2015. (image: Korea Bizwire)
SEOUL, Jun. 3 (Korea Bizwire) — An increasing number of families in South Korea are feeling less responsible for supporting their children until they are married.
The Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs (KIHASA), analyzing the change in views among married women on their responsibility of raising a child from 2003 to 2018, said that the perception began to undertake major changes in 2015.
While more families felt responsible for taking care of their children until they graduate high school, university, or until they get a job, the percentage of families willing to support their children until they’re married plunged from 20.4 percent in 2012 to 8.8 percent in 2015.
In 2017, the number went even lower to 7.1 percent.
“More couples are either getting married later in their lives, or shunning marriage altogether, which may have contributed to such a result,” said Kim Yu-kyung, a researcher at KIHASA.
There are many reasons behind the increasing trend of late marriages.
Among women, the reasons include higher participation in economic activity based on better education, Kim said.
Unemployment among younger South Koreans is also being claimed as one of the factors that is leading to late marriages.
In 2017, South Korea’s unemployment rate was 3.7 percent, but the unemployment rate among young South Koreans was three times as high at 9.8 percent.
H. M. Kang (hmkang@koreabizwire.com)
