Korea's younger generation becomes more apathetic to marriage

A person passes by a wedding dress shop in Mapo District in Seoul in March of this year. Newsis

By Anna J. Park

Six out of 10 Koreans in their 20s and 30s think that getting married is no longer a must. Also, the lack of money is a major factor influencing the younger generations' decisions to avoid marriage.

This is according to Statistics Korea's latest social survey results, which were announced on Wednesday.

Half of the respondents ― of all ages ― said that they think marriage is a must, which is 1.2 percentage points lower than two years ago. The figure turned out to be even lower among those in their 20s and 30s.

Only 35.1 percent of those in their 20s said that they agree that marriage is a must, and 40.6 percent of those in their 30s also said the same.

Slightly more than half of them ― 53.5 percent of those in their 20s, and 52.8 percent of those in their 30s ― responded that it doesn't matter whether they get married or not. Further, 6.4 percent of those in their 20s, and 3.5 percent of those in their 30s said that they will never get married.

In the cases of those between the ages of 13 to 19, only 29.1 percent responded that marriage is a must. The number rises as the age of the respondents rises, as 42.3 percent of those aged in their 40s and 52.8 percent among those in their 50s said the same. Over 70 percent of people over age 60 said that marriage is a must.

By gender, 55.8 percent of male respondents said they think marriage is necessary, while only 44.3 percent of female respondents said so.

Regarding reasons influencing their decision not to get married, 28.7 percent of respondents stated that it is due to the lack of money. Other reasons, such as unstable employment, the burden of giving birth and child-rearing, followed. Lastly, 25 percent of respondents said that they either do not feel any necessity to get married, or they haven't met anyone they'd like to get married to.