SEOUL – More than half of South Korean women think marriage and childbirth are not essential parts of their lives, according to results of a survey released on Sunday.
This suggests there is a growing trend of women defying expectations of traditional gender roles in South Korean society.
Only 4 per cent of female respondents said marriage and childbirth are “mandatory”, while 12.9 per cent of male respondents gave the same answer, according to the survey by the Korean Association for Social Welfare Studies.
The survey was conducted on 281 single men and women aged 20 to 34. Women made up 45 per cent of the survey participants.
The study suggested that the importance of marriage and childbirth appears to be connected to respondents’ perception of South Korean society.
Respondents who spoke highly of their quality of life and society tended to think that marriage and childbirth were important, the study said in its analysis of the survey.
The association said this implies that respondents with higher social trust, and who believe the community they live in is capable of providing more opportunities and equality, tend to view marriage and childbirth as attractive options.
A separate study in South Korea showed that fewer people, both women and men, think of supporting one’s parents as a mandatory duty.
This survey was conducted by the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs on 7,865 households between March and July 2022.
About 21 per cent of respondents said children should live with their parents and provide care, a dip from 52.6 per cent 15 years ago.
The percentage of respondents who agreed with the statement that “young children should be taken care of by their mothers at home” has also gradually decreased over the past 15 years.
In a 2007 survey, 64.7 per cent of respondents said mothers should take care of their children. This decreased to 39.6 per cent in the 2022 survey.
Unlike in the past, when families carried the burden of supporting the elderly and children, the report suggested that more people see society and the state as responsible for providing care for these groups. THE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
