The trade-off between dedicated childcare and the loss of income remains a formidable challenge. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
SEJONG, Mar. 4 (Korea Bizwire) – For working mom Park Soo-jin, 40, from Seoul, each day with her two-year-old is filled with joy. She occasionally entertains the thought of having a sibling for her child but has no immediate plans for a second child, largely due to the daunting prospect of a career gap from maternity leave and the significant financial burdens associated with raising children.
Despite increased government support for parents, the trade-off between dedicated childcare and the loss of income remains a formidable challenge. Moreover, Park’s age, 40, adds another layer of complexity to balancing work and potentially expanding her family.
“The reality that requires an ‘open run’ for hospital or kindergarten spots hasn’t changed, and I’m not keen on reliving the experiences I’ve had as a working mom,” Park expressed, referring to the competitive nature of securing spots in childcare facilities.
According to Statistics Korea, the number of births of second or subsequent children last year dropped by 12,448 to 91,700, falling below 100,000 for the first time. This marks a 40% decrease from the 153,656 births recorded five years ago in 2018, a rate of decline twice that of first-borns during the same period.
Two decades ago, the births of second or subsequent children significantly outnumbered first-borns. However, since 2004, first-born births have surpassed those of subsequent children, and the gap continues to widen each year.
Experts suggest that the decline in births of second or subsequent children highlights a “low birth rate” phenomenon among parents who have already experienced childbirth and parenting. This distinction from the decrease in first-borns underscores the impact of the realities of parenting on the decision against having more children.
The trend of marrying later and consequently having children at older ages also contributes to the declining birth rates. Last year, the average age of childbirth for women was 33.6 years, with the age for second child births even higher at 34.4 years, 1.4 years older than that for first-borns.
Park Jin-ah, a researcher at the Korean Institute of Child Care and Education, noted, “While the decrease in first-borns is largely influenced by the number of marriages, the decline in subsequent births can be attributed to the challenging realities of parenting experienced by those who initially had positive attitudes towards childbirth and child-rearing.”
M. H. Lee (mhlee@koreabizwire.com)
