By Kim Rahn

The number of women in Seoul with higher education has almost doubled in the last 10 years, according to a survey Sunday.

But the ratio of those engaged in economic activity among such women was lower than that of men by about 30 percent, mainly because females quit their jobs after having children.

The research by Seoul City showed that the number of women aged 30 or over who received college education or higher jumped by 95.4 percent to 1.1 million in 2010 from 575,000 in 2000.

During the same period, that of men rose by 45.1 percent.

In a similar trend, the ratio of female high school graduates advancing to colleges has surpassed that of males since 2008. In 2010, 66 percent of high school girls went to college, compared to 59.8 percent of boys.

Despite their educational background, women were relatively less engaged in economic activity — 52.1 percent of women aged 30 or over were earning money compared to 82.8 percent of men. The ratio of women with higher education having jobs, 65.4 percent, was also lower than that of men, at 88.9 percent.

“We suspect childcare is the main reason preventing women from staying at jobs, as the social prejudice against working women has faded,” a city official said.

Such factors are seen as making women hesitate to marry. In 2010, 61.7 percent of women aged between 25 and 34, the prevalent age group for marriage and giving birth, remained single, representing an increase of 37 percent from 2000.

For men in the same age group, the ratio of singles also rose to 75 percent from 57.9 percent a decade ago.