By Lee Hyo-sik
A growing number of Korean men are reaching their 40s without a spouse while facing financial hardship due to the prolonged sluggish job market and other unfavorable economic conditions, according to the latest report by the state-run labor institute.
The Korea Labor Institute (KLI) said 14.8 percent of males aged 40 were unmarried in 2010, a steep uptick from 1.4 percent in 1985. Among 45-year-old men, 7.7 percent had yet to tie the knot, compared with 0.2 percent 25 years ago.
In particular, the unemployed accounted for 27.4 percent of the unmarried 40-somethings, indicating that those without income are more likely to live alone due to financial instability.
``An increasing number of men and women here have become reluctant to get married, due to finances and other reasons. But we found that men with unstable employment face greater difficulties finding a partner,’’ a KLI researcher said.
About 22 percent of Korean men with a high school diploma or lower were found to be single in 2010, while only 4.3 percent of university graduates were unmarried.
The researcher said both the public and private sectors should make more efforts to generate as many high-paying and secure jobs as possible in order to create a more favorable environment for men and women to marry and have children.
In contrast, a relatively smaller percentage of women in their 40s were still single. Only 7 percent of Korean females aged 40 chose solitude in 2010, up from 1.1 percent in 1985.
About 3.1 percent of 45-year-old women were found to live alone, up from 0.7 percent 25 years ago.
Korean women with a university degree were more likely to remain single, while those with lower academic achievements tend to tie the knot at an earlier age.