Growing Number Of Young Women In South Korea Avoid Marriage

[unreal.livejournal.com]

SEOUL, July 28 (Bernama) -- A growing number of South Korean women in their late twenties, considered as the ideal age for marriage, are reluctant to tie the knot, said China's Xinhua news agency citing a report by the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs (KIHSA) revealed on Wednesday.

The unmarried rate among women aged between 25 and 29 surged to 59.1 percent in 2005 from 11.8 percent in 1975, the report said.

With the drastic growth in the number of single women in their late twenties, two out of three women hit their thirties without a spouse, it said.

Changed attitudes toward marriage are also apparent even among married women. Only 14 percent of married women saw marriage as necessary, according to the report.

The report said that 59.4 percent of singles, including both men and women, said they are not getting married because of value-related reasons, such as self-development and the pursuit of further education. Economic problems, with 31.9 percent, are the second most common reason for remaining unmarried.

South Korea in recent years has been grappling with the low birth rate. "Marriage-friendly policies along with reducing the age for first marriage should be devised," Byun Yong-chan, researcher at the KIHSA was quoted by local media as saying.

Source: bernama

Comments

[black-silver.livejournal.com]

:DD!! idk why but this makes me so happyyyy~~

[kms012.livejournal.com]

ROFL, Me too ^.^

[ethereal-limbo.livejournal.com]

don't know why anyone would feel happy/sad about this news.

[czarny.livejournal.com]

Then stay clueless.

[ethereal-limbo.livejournal.com]

I thought you disliked me.

Hi.

[black-silver.livejournal.com]

also, i definitely read that source as "Bonamana" -___-'

[cartofkun.livejournal.com]

you would xD

[peachmacaroons.livejournal.com]

with reducing the age for first marriage should be devised

sry, but what does this mean? that there's a set age you can marry legally?

[elizajet.livejournal.com]

I think they mean the average age for marrying, like they want to lower the age when people are getting married.

[ghost-whisper.livejournal.com]

well, if the average as for mariage is 31 and 28 respectively, it's no wonder the birth rate is so low...

[kpop-arsenal.livejournal.com]

YAH!!! screw men till 30, freeze ur eggs, and get married at 40!!!

[peachmacaroons.livejournal.com]

true. my boyfriends mom told me I should get pregnant ASAP because old eggs are bad eggs. :|

[kpop-arsenal.livejournal.com]

not necessarily bad eggs but there's more chances of problems. there is a higher chance of the baby having down syndrome :/

but this is why technology has made it possible to freeze eggs till ur ready. :D

[peachmacaroons.livejournal.com]

yeah, but I was 21 when she told me this... it was awkward to say the least.

[kpop-arsenal.livejournal.com]

... she told u to get pregnant when u were 21!?!? lol wow. that is awkward XD

[czarny.livejournal.com]

lol holy shit 21. Imagine that, your youth just going down the drain prematurely for a kid.

[kms012.livejournal.com]

"get married at 40!!!"

LOL, TOP would be proud!

[yvonne-b.livejournal.com]

lol not me i'm adopting :D

[kuroxkitsunex3.livejournal.com]

I don't think the age limit is going to really change anything. Right now other countries are experiencing similar phenomenons as well. This isn't an problem you can change by just changing the age limit, there's more to it that that.

[honeebs.livejournal.com]

--> GOOD FOR YOU.
The report said that 59.4 percent of singles, including both men and women, said they are not getting married because of value-related reasons, such as self-development and the pursuit of further education.
Reducing the marriage is not a plan.

[ethereal-limbo.livejournal.com]

Is that Sistar in your GIF?

[ghost-whisper.livejournal.com]

yeah, I'd bet the military plays a huge factor. I mean, men usually tend to get married *in* their thirties, thus after military service. And generally speaking most people don't want to deal with a huge age gap between partners (eg more than 5 years or so).

I sure wouldn't want to get married younger, sacrifice an education (or waste one), and then end up without the guy I married for two years on *top* of that... and possibly have to take care of a kid while I'm at it.

[super-genin.livejournal.com]

As much as this may sound good... reducing birthrate and marrying late sure has it's own set of problems too. There must be balance. Marriage and Birth rates should not be too high nor too low.

If people have less children than needed to replace them, as time goes by, the population "ages". This means that there will come a time when most people are old/senior citizens while there are only very few children and people of working age. Remember that people of working age are the main supporters of a country's economy, since they do the bulk of the economic activity.

I'm just saying that developed countries such as South Korea should take care that its birth rate should not go too low.

[czarny.livejournal.com]

Ageing populations are a common trend in pretty much every industrialised developed nation atm, Korea isn't special there.

Also marriage doesn't shouldn't be some pre-req to having children, it's not like Korea is a theocracy lol. You CAN have children outside of wedlock.

[ghost-whisper.livejournal.com]

I think having kids outside of marriage would generally go over *very* poorly though, even if it isn't illegal or anything.

[czarny.livejournal.com]

Depends but generally yes.

[super-genin.livejournal.com]

Yes, I know it's not just for Korea. I was just pointing out that reducing birthrate is not all roses and rainbows. Problems will still be encountered.

Marriage may not be an absolute pre-req to having children, but it is still an important demographic statistic. I'm not saying that it's mandatory but let's face it. LOTS of births still occur in wedlock.

[czarny.livejournal.com]

Good.

Sort out the low birth rate with a credible immigration policy then and cook up some anti-discrimination legislation while yer at it and fucking get into the 21st Century Korea.

[luckyfreelife.livejournal.com]

You just watched charlie is so cool like, and that makes you... cool =D

and iawtc ;)

[last-thread.livejournal.com]

your icon [[:

[miyavi-type.livejournal.com]

I'd love to say that the problem is with South Korea, but then this is what happens to countries that are post-industrial with stringent immigration policies. Raising a child is expensive and women are educated and less inclined to cling onto men for financial support.

South Korea will either have to loosen their immigration policies or find ways to make it more attractive for women to want to be mothers. Good luck on that, Korea.

[mrsxiah1612.livejournal.com]

i blink at bernama.

[turielen.livejournal.com]

I don't feel particularly glad that this is happening, I'm not upset either... it simply looks like the natural consequence of being an industrial economy/society.

I think countries should re-think their child policies, though. More countries should be offering FREE quality education and healthcare, as well as financial aid to buy houses. I just wish MY country would let single women adopt :( I want to raise kids, but I don't want to have to stop working to raise them - I'd want to adopt a child around 4-8 years old.

[ghost-whisper.livejournal.com]

They probably don't want to be chained to the house by their aprons.

[la-geni.livejournal.com]

It's a cultural thing, lowering or whatever the age is not going to do shit.

[byronsbitch.livejournal.com]

Good for you girls. Go out there, live your lives, have some fun and then settle down. I know I ain't get married EVERRRRRRRRRRR

[dannyupshaw.livejournal.com]

good for them