Individualism Taking Root in Korea

[porandojin.livejournal.com]

The strength of personal networks based on regional and school ties, which traditionally lie at the core of the Korean way of building relationships, is dwindling, according to recent surveys that suggest individualism is on the rise in Korean society.

According to a nationwide poll carried out by LG Economic Research Institute on 1,800 people on June 13, 36.4 percent of the respondents prioritized the individual over the organization. Roughly the same amount, or 36.8 percent, did not agree that actions undertaken for the public good should limit or infringe upon their own rights.

Such a shift in perspective is even more evident among university students. It is not uncommon to see students eating alone at university cafeterias, and there seems to be a growing trend to befriend less people in the same department or academic year.

"There are more advantages to eating alone, as you can save money and time," said one 22-year-old student, voicing the new me-first ethos of the younger generation.

In a poll of 528 university students by job search portal Incruit last year, 34.5 percent considered themselves as "outsiders" who rarely socialize with their classmates or friends.

More People Remain Single for Life

More than half of the inhabitants of Seoul between the ages of 30 and 34 are unmarried. According to research by the Seoul Metropolitan Government, there were 431,847 singles between 30 to 34 in the capital as of last year, accounting for 50.4 percent of its population.

Among the total population of Seoul in their 30s, 3.8 percent were unmarried. The reason is because they are putting off marriage due to difficulties finding jobs, a lack of earning power or simply because they do not want to get married.

Take the example of a 52-year-old single woman who works at a state-run company, one of many women in her age with good jobs and incomes. She went on a lot of blind dates when she was in her 20s, but nobody matched her expectations, and as she climbed the corporate ladder, her expectations rose, narrowing the pool of candidates. When she reached 50, she gave up looking for a husband.

According to the 2010 census report, there were 239,707 unmarried people in their 50s (135,246 men and 104,461 women). That marks a 3.9-fold increase from 10 years ago when there were 61,176. Still, only one out of every 100 people over 50 has never been married. But considering the latest data on the number of singles in their 40s, there is a strong chance that the number of people who remain single for life will increase.

One out of every 10 people between 40 and 44 is single, as is one out of every 20 between 45 and 49. "We are seeing more men with temporary jobs, and income levels among women are rising, which prompts more people to avoid marriage," said Cho Nam-hoon, a chair professor at Hanyang University. “We’re going to see a faster growth in the number of people who stay single for life.”

Among unmarried people in their 50s, men with little education tended to have a problem finding spouses, while highly educated women have the same problem. Among men with only an elementary education, 2.8 percent are single, while the ratio is 1.1 percent each for master's degree and PhD holders.

Among women with only an elementary education, 1.36 percent are unmarried, while the ratio is 9.7 percent for master's degree holders and 14.7 percent for those with doctoral degrees.

Many male singles earn low wages and have only elementary or junior high school educations. They risk living in poverty when they grow old. Around half the people who stay single for life live by themselves with no other family member to depend on.


sources english.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2011/06/27/2011062700257.html
              english.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2011/06/25/2011062500277.html

Comments

[dorawa.livejournal.com]

It is not uncommon to see students eating alone at university cafeterias

this is my worst nightmare omg

Among women with only an elementary education, 1.36 percent are unmarried, while the ratio is 9.7 percent for master's degree holders and 14.7 percent for those with doctoral degrees.

i find this extremely sad for some reason...

[dorawa.livejournal.com]

idk, is it because their standards are higher and they want more, or is it because the men don't want educated women?

i mean, that guy said "We are seeing more men with temporary jobs, and income levels among women are rising, which prompts more people to avoid marriage," which is like ....? why though?

maybe i'm just an idiot lol

[amberr21.livejournal.com]

No, you're right...that's what it is. It's sad from a western perspective, I agree. But here it's...normal? I dunno, it's a cultural thing. ^^

[dorawa.livejournal.com]

haha i know but it's still depressing

[dorawa.livejournal.com]

true, but it's just weird that women with education have a high level of non-marriage, while it's the complete opposite effect for men. but then again, i can see why that would be too.

and idk, korean men seem to be really prideful so if their woman is supporting them, it might be seen as a bad thing? isn't it that men want women to usually ~quit their jobs when they get married to become a housewife?

[ghost-whisper.livejournal.com]

Actually, I think men with a lesser education are quite likely to avoid educated women, particularly in a more patriarchal society like SK. Even if a woman has an education and is more driven, etc, this could very very easily be perceived as a threat to masculinity, and patriarchal dominance. Chances are, a low/middle educated man would *not* want to marry a well educated woman, and in return, a well educated woman is unlikely to desire to marry a poorly educated man because, well, lots of ladies probably wouldn't want to marry a guy who can't measure up to her own education/qualities, simply because in comparison he doesn't seem driven/financially stable etc. This is probably doubly so in a place like SK, where women are frequently (though this is changing slowly) expected to give up their job and become housewives after marriage.

On the other hand, I think well educated *men* looking for women to marry are probably a mixed bag. On the one hand, lots of them probably want well educated women, if only for a 'status' thing. On the other hand, if the girl is pretty, obedient, well mannered (all traits often regaled as 'ideal' from what I see on omona), well, education probably isn't the *highest* quality on the list from a man looking for a wife.

It probably sounds really...sexist and also business oriented, and I'm sure that there's lots of exceptions made in cases of love, etc, but this sort of thing isn't limited to SK either.

[after-an.livejournal.com]

Also, in SK, women tend to get college degrees to increase their chances on the marriage market rather than in the job market because a lot of higher positions are restricted to them.

[eggyplant.livejournal.com]

I think this is the same in most cases, particularly amongst Asians - that a guy (very rarely) will pursue a women "above" them on the socio-economic ladder. That is to say, it's perfectly acceptable for a girl to marry "up" the ladder, but not seen as 'manly' for a guy to do it (because traditionally, a guy is supposed to take care of the girl and not the other way around.)

The flip side is that an 'accomplished' woman, would rarely accept a guy who is not as ambitious or 'accomplished' as they would be. Sort of in the same strain as, "If I could do it as a woman, in a society where things are generally stacked up against me, why couldn't you, as a man, who has the social advantage, do the same if not better?"

That being said, if 2 people are really attracted to each other and give each other a chance with an open mind regardless of social constructs, exceptions can be and will be made.

I know someone (Korean) who was basically disowned by the family because she married someone down the social ladder (which really was he was a different ethnicity (Chinese) and made considerably less money than she did). *shrugs*

[dorawa.livejournal.com]

omg big ol sadface to the last part of your comment! that's so sad :(

[unbroken-glass.livejournal.com]

maybe to your first question.
my sister's boyfriend cheated on her because he felt threatened and insecure by the fact that my sister is extremely smart and was studying overseas in a good university. So yeah, /shrugs

[dorawa.livejournal.com]

lol i mean i eat alone sometimes, but i try to stick with my friends cause i get subconscious easily :(

[volatilewind.livejournal.com]

mte I can't eat in public unless I have a crowd of people shielding me lol

[atarashiiyoake.livejournal.com]

same here, idg why people freak out over this or act like it's the end of the world. XD

Just bring a book while you're waiting for the food to be served and then dig in, wtf.

[atarashiiyoake.livejournal.com]

Are you serious? It honestly concerns me that people are seriously too insecure to eat alone, wtf. I'd start up a group to deal with that first. O.o

[porandojin.livejournal.com]

i think its 30-34 vs 34-40

[porandojin.livejournal.com]

or 30.8 ?

[after-an.livejournal.com]

Is it just me or does this make individualism sound really negative? I know it isn't perfect but individualism isn't just about being unmarried and having fewer friends. =S

[atarashiiyoake.livejournal.com]

Korean perspective? Most SEA countries are all about the community/family.

[amberr21.livejournal.com]

I think because it's written from a Korean perspective. I'm 22, and I have been asked if I'm getting married soon, and people are shocked that I live alone here in Korea and not with friends or something. It's interesting.

[amberr21.livejournal.com]

Among unmarried people in their 50s, men with little education tended to have a problem finding spouses, while highly educated women have the same problem.

This is just...sad...in so many different ways. I can't even begin.

I can see the individual thing happening a bit here. There are always at least a few people eating alone at restaurants like the article says. The staying single thing, though...I dunno. I have seen more couples here than I have ever seen. Basically, no matter which way you turn, you see a million couples holding hands. It's cute until you get caught walking behind them, because they walk snail-speed. haha

[chraka.livejournal.com]

"There are more advantages to eating alone, as you can save money and time," said one 22-year-old student, voicing the new me-first ethos of the younger generation.

I'm really for individualism and I like it and all but...That's just sad, if you think about it that way

[ghost-whisper.livejournal.com]

It is not uncommon to see students eating alone at university cafeterias

tbh, I don't really see this as a sign of individualism, so much as a sign of the perception of university culture, and an emphasis on studying over finding/making friends and networking. Also, networking at schools and such =/= community oriented values. Western societies place a strong emphasis on networking in the academic/business environments as well.

Also - I'm attending university in China. *LOTS* of students eat alone here (compared to any of my western friends who find this incredibly strange). It's a very 'eat and run' sort of impression. China isn't exactly brimming with individualism, even if it's on the rise here too, so Idk what eating alone says about individualism at all.

[hopeandmemory.livejournal.com]

Idk what eating alone says about individualism at all.

That the media thinks eating alone is a sign of individualism is a sign that they're so used to a collectivist society that they don't even know what constitutes individualism. At least that's how it seems to me.

[ghost-whisper.livejournal.com]

you mean that the K-media is using this idea and quote about eating alone as an example because they don't really understand what would constitute a valid example? Yeah, that could be possible.

[ghost-whisper.livejournal.com]

pfft, because there's no herd mentality in so-called individualist societies either. troll harder.

[ghost-whisper.livejournal.com]

it's already time to move on from the middle century mind closer to civilization

It's rather offensive to presume that *your* model of society and beliefs are more civilized just because you like them more and find them more comfortable. There's no 'ranking' system or timeline of civilization when it comes to individual vs. collectivist, where things move from the "archaic" collectivism towards the "modern, civilized " individualism, and to suggest that they need to move on from the past and towards civilization implies that there *is* in fact a progress that societies take and yours is farther along. It's the same argument that 19th and 20th century imperialists made to justify taking over other countries and forcing them to adopt similar politics, religion etc, so sorry, I don't buy it. (and yeah, 'herd mentality' is more of a psychological thing that may be enhanced by collectivism, but not caused by it, so blaming a social structure for people not wanting to think for themselves isn't a strong argument for 'why collectivism doesn't work')

You prefer individualism? That's fine, I do too. But completely devaluing the culture and development of another country/society and suggesting that they need to 'catch up to you' in civilization isn't really a good way to show your support.

[atarashiiyoake.livejournal.com]

I actually agree with you.

After spending half a year in Thailand I'm going to be happy to go back to rather individualistic NW-Europe.

[shisukachan.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure if the article is meaning to put individualism in a negative light but it really seems like it is.

Eating alone, not being married, etc. isn't really a sign of individualism, I don't think.

[shinobu-kokoro.livejournal.com]

The things said in this article doesn't really surprise me...why because South Korea society is being more and more influenced by the ideas and the customs and attitudes of their western counterparts at rapid fire speed. I lived in SK from 2006-2007 and I visited there again in 2009 and I couldn't believe how much had changed there in a mere two years time...

I really think the individualistic idea is a good mentality for them, being your own person rather than thinking what's collectively good for everyone allows for them to flourish and them about what's good for themselves and allows Korean to be more open and accepting of foreigners as well. Maybe this type of mentality will allow for their masculine society to treat women as equals and stop expecting all their wives to give up their careers, and stay at home and raise their children and cut their hairs, and basically becomes a Stepford wife...

The university students eating alone is a big deal, while living in Korea I was a college student and I noticed that Korean students often never ate alone, they actually did everything in groups, so it's definitely a big deal. The thing that I don't really understand is that it has always seem to be that Korean people generally married later in life usually in their 30's I guess this article is making a deal about the great number of people who are choosing to remain single, which is not a bad thing, it's all about individual choices ^^

[ur-a-funny-1.livejournal.com]

Lol at this whole article. What do any of their 'examples' have to do with individualism? It's not the behaviours of eating alone, not getting married, etc, it's the way we look at these behaviours:

individualists would shrug and say 'to each their own' looking at them as one person's particular behaviour(s) and not necessarily any connection to anything else.

whereas, as shown by this article, collectivists would take on a view of these behaviours being... antisocial i suppose, and they would see these behaviours in the context of society in general, rather than on a person-by-person basis, if you get what i mean.

[annieraincloud.livejournal.com]

These men with little education and highly educated women should put their fear of losing masculinity/high standards in men aside and get together instead if they're having trouble finding partners ~

Problem Solved :D