4 in 10 Korean adults want children, but only 1 in 3 women say yes
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Four out of 10 Koreans who are unmarried or married without children say they want to have a child, a survey showed, marking an increase from two years earlier. But the survey also revealed a gender gap, with about half of men saying they wanted children, compared with roughly 1 in 3 women.
The Presidential Committee on Ageing Society and Population Policy released the survey results Thursday. The survey, conducted regularly since 2024, asks adults aged 25 to 49 nationwide about their intentions to marry and have children. The latest poll was conducted in March among 2,800 respondents.
Results of the fifth survey on marriage, childbirth, child-rearing and government low birthrate measures / Courtesy of Presidential Committee on Ageing Society and Population Policy
The survey found that 67.4 percent of unmarried men and women intended to marry, a 6.4 percentage-point increase from 61.0 percent in the first survey in 2024.
Among those who wanted to marry but remained single, 77.7 percent cited not having met the right partner as the reason. Other reasons included the cost of marriage, at 74.2 percent; anxiety over changing roles after marriage, at 52.1 percent; being more focused on other pursuits, at 42.3 percent; and difficulty finding a job, at 31.0 percent.
Concerns over changing roles after marriage remained more pronounced among women. Of those who wanted to marry but had not done so, 60.7 percent of women cited anxiety over such changes, compared with 46.8 percent of men.
Results of the fifth survey on marriage, childbirth, child-rearing and government low birthrate measures / Courtesy of Presidential Committee on Ageing Society and Population Policy
The share of unmarried or childless Koreans willing to have a child rose from 32.6 percent to 41.8 percent over the same period. Another 25.3 percent said they were still considering whether to have children, while 22.7 percent said they had no intention of doing so.
The gender gap, however, remained stark — 51.2 percent of unmarried or childless men said they wanted children, compared with just 31.1 percent of women.
Income was the most commonly cited factor that could increase willingness to have children, named by 33.5 percent of both male and female respondents. Men most often pointed to being able to use parental leave freely, at 27.4 percent, while women most often said their willingness would rise if their spouse took part in child care, at 22.7 percent.
Results of the fifth survey on marriage, childbirth, child-rearing and government low birthrate measures / Courtesy of Presidential Committee on Ageing Society and Population Policy
Respondents identified the creation of more quality jobs as the most effective structural solution to Korea’s low birthrate, with 83.9 percent selecting it.
For dual-income households, the biggest need in raising children was a workplace culture that allows workers to freely use child care support programs, cited by 51.7 percent. This was followed by guaranteed access to institutional child care services and adequate hours of care, at 44.6 percent.
Kim Jin-oh, vice chairperson of the committee, said changing public attitudes must be backed by policy support if they are to lead to actual marriage and childbirth.
“We will work to put in place policy and institutional measures, including fostering a culture more friendly to childbirth and parenting and creating workplace conditions where employees can take parental leave without fear of stigma,” Kim said.
This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.