Only 1 in 3 young Koreans positive about marriage

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More than half of respondents say childbirth is not necessary

By Yi Whan-woo

Only about one out of every three Koreans aged 19 to 34 have a positive perception of wedlock, illustrating the mentality among young people towards matrimony, which is resulting in a sharper decline in the number of marriages and a deepening demographic crisis, according to a report, Monday.

Titled, “A social inquiry on shift in young people's perception,” the report released by Statistics Korea showed that only 36.4 percent of the people in the aforementioned age group had a positive perspective toward marriage in 2022.

Last year's figure marked a steep fall from 2012 when 56.5 percent of young Koreans responded positively when asked about their views on marriage.

The 2022 figure was also lower than that of the entire group of survey respondents aged 13 or older. Some 50 percent of them had positive views of marriage last year.

By gender, the rate dropped to 43.8 percent from 66.1 percent among men over the 10-year period, and to 28 percent from 46.9 percent among women.

The findings come as the number of marriages in Korea dipped to 191,700 in 2022, marking a fall for the 11th straight year and also a record low since 1970 when the relevant data started to be compiled.

Correspondingly, the country's total fertility rate, or the average number of children a woman bears in her lifetime, came to 0.78 in 2022. It was the lowest since 1970 when the rate was 4.53.

The 2022 fertility rate adds to the woes of a population decline, as the figure was far lower than the replacement level of 2.1 that would keep the country's population stable at 51.5 million.

Asked why they do not get married, 33.7 percent of the unmarried Koreans last year picked a lack of money for the reason.

Another 17.3 percent responded that marriage is not a must, while 11 percent said they find childbirth and childcare burdensome.

In particular, 46.3 percent of the young Koreans said childcare hinders women from returning to work after maternity leave or when getting a new job.

Concerning cohabitation or a couple living together without getting married, more young Koreans were open toward such an idea ― 80.9 percent in 2022 compared to 61.8 percent in 2012.

Regarding parenthood after marriage, 53.5 percent of the same age group in 2022 said having children is not necessary, up from 46.4 percent 10 years earlier.

They also turned pessimistic toward adopting a child, with 31.5 percent of them being open to the idea in 2022 compared to 52 percent in 2012.

More young Koreans were open-minded about international marriage, with the support rate advancing to 83.3 percent in 2022 from 73.8 percent in 2012.