Young job seekers waiting in line for on-site interviews at a job fair. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, May 6 (Korea Bizwire) — South Koreans in their 20s to 40s increasingly prioritize work over traditional milestones such as marriage, parenthood, and even personal fulfillment, underscoring a profound generational shift in values as the country confronts economic pressure and demographic headwinds.
A report released by the National Integration Committee, based on a survey of 2,690 adults aged 25 to 44, found that 38.1% of respondents identified work as the most important task in their lives, followed by personal life (23.1%), romantic relationships (22%), and children (16.8%). The online survey was conducted over two weeks earlier this year.
This prioritization of work held steady across gender and age groups, even among parents with young children. Among women with children aged five or younger, work and parenting were nearly equally important. For their male counterparts, work continued to dominate.
The majority of respondents — 78% — viewed work primarily as a necessity for survival. More than 60% expressed a desire to remain with a company until retirement or to work more in exchange for economic advancement.
As economic pressure mounts, family and leisure fall behind in importance for South Korea’s working-age adults. (Image generated by ChatGPT)
By contrast, just over half were open to scaling back work to enjoy more personal time, and only 39.3% supported pursuing self-fulfilling work outside the bounds of traditional job security.
Support for women’s participation in the labor force was also notably high: nearly 80% of women and around 70% of men agreed on the importance of female employment. Few shared the belief that working mothers negatively impact their children, regardless of whether the child was an infant or in elementary school.
The study also revealed progress in attitudes toward male involvement in domestic life. Approximately 70% of men and 80% of women endorsed greater male participation in childcare and housework, with many reporting a significant role for men in dual-income households.
When asked about the most pressing gender inequality issues, 80.2% cited women’s career disruptions due to childbearing and caregiving. This was followed by concerns about men’s limited role in domestic work and gender-based occupational divisions — both at 72.8%.
“Given the widespread support for evolving gender roles — with women in the workforce and men more engaged in family life — now is the time to amplify policies that reflect these realities,” the report stated. “Policies based on outdated assumptions, like the full-time housewife model, are increasingly ineffective. Strengthening support for women’s labor market participation is not optional — it’s essential.”
Lina Jang (linajang@koreabizwire.com)
