By Nam Hyun-woo
More female residents of Seoul are considering saying “I do” a matter of choice rather than a must-do.
According to a report by the Seoul Metropolitan Government released Thursday, 39.9 percent of the women surveyed aged over 13 replied marriage is “an option, not a must,” compared with 33.3 percent in 2008.
In comparison, 27.9 percent of males viewed marriage as an option, up from 22.8 percent. A total of 4,600 Seoul residents were surveyed for the study.
It said 56.3 percent of the females surveyed said marriage is necessary, down from 62.7 percent in 2008. The remaining 3.8 percent disagreed with marriage altogether.
With more people regarding marriage as a matter of choice, the average age of first marriages has increased.
In the 2012 report, the average ages of males and females getting married for the first time stood at 32.4, and 30.2, up 2.3 and 2.4 years, respectively.
More people considered divorce acceptable, which was formerly taboo.
The number of people who think divorce was unacceptable fell to 44.8 percent last year from 57.3 percent in 2008.
Among those surveyed, 45.2 percent of female respondents said “one can divorce freely,” more than the 38.5 percent of males who said so.
“The shift in female citizens’ notions on marriage reflects their stronger financial leverage,” a city government official said.