Statistics reveal how men, women differ from each other

By Choi Sung-jin

Men and women, even though they are born at the same hour and same day, have different life expectancies. There are also significant differences in their thinking and living patterns, daily activities, and preferred types of marriage partners

Various statistics reveal these differences and show partly why.

According to the 2004 life table compiled by Statistics Korea, the life expectancy of Korean men was 79.63 years and that of women 86 years, meaning women live an average of 6.36 years long than men. The life expectancy of Korean women was fourth highest among the member nations of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, while that of men was 17th highest.

In the lifestyle survey conducted by the state statistical agency the same year, men and women also spent their days quite differently.

There were slight differences between teenagers regardless of sex in how much time they spent each day on their studies: boys studied six hours a day while girls studied six hours and 20 minutes. Yet teenage boys spent 76 minutes playing computer games while girls spent only 24 minutes playing.

In their 20s, men and women still don’t show that much difference in how they use their time. Men spent 147 minutes studying; women, 85 minutes. Men spent three hours and 55 minutes for family while with women it was four hours and 58 minutes. Men engaged in leisure activities for three hours and 45 minutes; women, three hours and eight minutes. Most of these differences were within an hour.

As men and women entered their 30s, though, the differences became more pronounced.

While men spent five hours and 57 minutes at office, women spent only two hours and 35 minutes, a difference of three hours and 22 minutes. On the other hand, women worked for their families for five hours and two minutes while men spent only 58 minutes on housework. The same pattern was seen in people in their 40s, 50s, and 60s. Still, the differences between the two sexes in the time they engaged in leisure activities was less than 30 minutes.

According to marriage and childbirth trends surveyed by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, spouses’ requirements considered most important by men and women were quite different.

A man tends to value his partner’s personality as most important, as 36.5 percent of those polled said this, followed by trust and love (24.7 percent), and economic ability (9.8 percent). Women pointed to economic ability first (30.3 percent), followed by trust and love (23.7 percent) and character (22.2 percent). Men thought family background least important (4.9 percent), while women regarded physical condition as least important (0.5 percent).

Recently, the “singles tribe” has been increasing in number, and the age of a person’s first marriage has been steadily on the rise too.

Both unmarried men (27.5 percent) and women (31.6 percent) cited “early age” as the foremost reason not to get married. Men also pointed to low income and not finding the right person (11.2 percent each each), followed by difficulties buying a home (7.7 percent). Women cited not finding the right person (14.4 percent) and financial difficulties in buying home furnishing (9.4 percent).

How would they change after marriage, then?

In a survey, the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family asked married people whether they would marry their current spouses again, if given the choice. More than half of the men, 50.6 percent said “yes,” but only 30.5 percent of the women made the same reply, indicating that wives are more dissatisfied with their partners than husbands are.