ed Decline of marriage

More Koreans question need to tie the knot

Koreans are increasingly falling out of love with marriage, long considered an integral step to adulthood. Now, more Koreans are saying that marriage is no longer a “must.’’

The latest Statistics Korea report on the subject shows that those who said marriage was a must in 2014 stood at 56.8 percent, compared with 68 percent in 2008. As people delay marriage, single-person households are on a steep rise. The survey shows that 23.9 percent of households were composed of a single person in 2010, compared with 4.8 percent in 1980 and 15.5 percent in 2000.

With rising living costs and stagnant incomes, married couples are finding it more taxing than ever to raise families. This discourages even more young people from marrying, resulting in the widespread public perception of marriage as a burden, not a blessing.

Koreans' growing avoidance of marriage stems from the downbeat sentiment of young Koreans today. More young people are starting to perceive marriage as a luxury that belongs only to the privileged in "Hell Joseon," a popular term describing the hardships of Korean youth. It has been the practice of young couples to depend on their parents for wedding costs and housing. This inflicts severe burdens on the parents, many of whom have their own problems managing their post-retirement livelihoods. All in all, marriage has become a huge source of stress for people across generations.

A combination of factors explains the downward trend in tying the knot. The biggest factor is economic instability among young people. Their reluctance toward marriage is directly linked to the devastating unemployment crisis that has befallen the nation, especially among the young. A recent state survey shows that the unemployment rate for people aged 15-29 hit 12.5 percent in February, the highest since 1999. And many who have found jobs are temporary workers. It is extremely difficult for people with unstable incomes in their 20s and 30s even to consider marriage.

Marriage is a matter of personal choice. But the decline of marriage is a national problem for a country like Korea, where the low birthrate has emerged as a grave social issue. The country's birthrate was 1.24 in 2015, which is already among the lowest in the world. The infertility crisis will cause crippling consequences in the future, such as denting the nation's growth potential. That is why the falling marriage rate requires urgent policy attention.

What is needed to boost Koreans' appetite for marriage? First is to raise the youth employment rate and improve the quality of jobs. The government plans to announce job creation measures in April. The announcement should contain tailor-made solutions to expand job opportunities for young people so that they can prepare to shoulder expenses related to marriage ― wedding, housing and childcare.

Second, Korea needs a mother-friendly society and workplace. For working women, marriage is seen as an impediment to their careers. According to a recent poll, an overwhelming 71.8 percent of women said that getting married is harmful to their jobs. For women to become more enthusiastic about marriage, the corporate sector needs to create mother-friendly initiatives, such as expanding in-house daycare facilities and paid parental leave.

Third, Korea should create a good environment for raising children. The first step to this is improving the reliability of public education so parents do not have to pay so much for private lessons. These and other soaring costs put many people’s minds off marriage.

So far, policymakers have neglected creating an environment where marriages can flourish. Happy, stable marriages and family life deserve to become priorities in realizing the Park Geun-hye administration's pledge for the "era of people's happiness."