The Korea Times
amn_close.png
amn_bl.png
National
  • Politics
  • Foreign Affairs
  • Multicultural Community
  • Defense
  • Environment & Animals
  • Law & Crime
  • Society
  • Health & Science
amn_bl.png
Business
  • Tech
  • Bio
  • Companies
amn_bl.png
Finance
  • Companies
  • Economy
  • Markets
  • Cryptocurrency
amn_bl.png
Opinion
  • Editorial
  • Columns
  • Thoughts of the Times
  • Cartoon
  • Today in History
  • Blogs
  • Tribune Service
  • Blondie & Garfield
  • Letter to President
  • Letter to the Editor
amn_bl.png
Lifestyle
  • Travel & Food
  • Trends
  • People & Events
  • Books
  • Around Town
  • Fortune Telling
amn_bl.png
Entertainment & Arts
  • K-pop
  • Films
  • Shows & Dramas
  • Music
  • Theater & Others
amn_bl.png
Sports
amn_bl.png
World
  • SCMP
  • Asia
amn_bl.png
Video
  • Korean Storytellers
  • POPKORN
  • Culture
  • People
  • News
amn_bl.png
Photos
  • Photo News
  • Darkroom
amn_NK.png amn_DR.png amn_LK.png amn_LE.png
  • bt_fb_on_2022.svgbt_fb_over_2022.svg
  • bt_twitter_on_2022.svgbt_twitter_over_2022.svg
  • bt_youtube_on_2022.svgbt_youtube_over_2022.svg
  • bt_instagram_on_2022.svgbt_instagram_over_2022.svg
The Korea Times
amn_close.png
amn_bl.png
National
  • Politics
  • Foreign Affairs
  • Multicultural Community
  • Defense
  • Environment & Animals
  • Law & Crime
  • Society
  • Health & Science
amn_bl.png
Business
  • Tech
  • Bio
  • Companies
amn_bl.png
Finance
  • Companies
  • Economy
  • Markets
  • Cryptocurrency
amn_bl.png
Opinion
  • Editorial
  • Columns
  • Thoughts of the Times
  • Cartoon
  • Today in History
  • Blogs
  • Tribune Service
  • Blondie & Garfield
  • Letter to President
  • Letter to the Editor
amn_bl.png
Lifestyle
  • Travel & Food
  • Trends
  • People & Events
  • Books
  • Around Town
  • Fortune Telling
amn_bl.png
Entertainment & Arts
  • K-pop
  • Films
  • Shows & Dramas
  • Music
  • Theater & Others
amn_bl.png
Sports
amn_bl.png
World
  • SCMP
  • Asia
amn_bl.png
Video
  • Korean Storytellers
  • POPKORN
  • Culture
  • People
  • News
amn_bl.png
Photos
  • Photo News
  • Darkroom
amn_NK.png amn_DR.png amn_LK.png amn_LE.png
  • bt_fb_on_2022.svgbt_fb_over_2022.svg
  • bt_twitter_on_2022.svgbt_twitter_over_2022.svg
  • bt_youtube_on_2022.svgbt_youtube_over_2022.svg
  • bt_instagram_on_2022.svgbt_instagram_over_2022.svg
  • Login
  • Register
  • Login
  • Register
  • The Korea Times
  • search
  • all menu
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • Photos
  • Video
  • World
  • Sports
  • Opinion
  • Entertainment & Art
  • Lifestyle
  • Finance
  • Business
  • National
  • North Korea
  • 1

    Song Joong-ki marries British woman, expects baby

  • 3

    K-pop releases for February

  • 5

    Koreans reluctant to unmask on first day of eased indoor mask rule

  • 7

    Stock-leveraged investments rise again amid bullish KOSPI

  • 9

    Itaewon music fest brings love to the healing process

  • 11

    Busan seeks to take lead in expo race after BIE's April visit

  • 13

    Retailers seek to bolster beauty product sales as lifting of mask mandate approaches

  • 15

    Biohealth geared for growth

  • 17

    Smiling flower, mushroom bomb, zombie: What do Takashi Murakami's grotesquely 'kawaii' creatures tell us?

  • 19

    20 suggestions to improve Google Scholar and motivate global scholars

  • 2

    Korean Lunar New Year vs. Chinese Lunar New Year

  • 4

    Over 76% of South Koreans support development of nuclear weapons

  • 6

    Base taxi fare to rise by 1,000 won to 4,800 won next month

  • 8

    ANALYSISPandemic awakens demand for data-driven automation

  • 10

    SPC opens 120th Paris Baguette store in US

  • 12

    Most people masked up on 1st day of lifting of mandate rules

  • 14

    Hybe acquires 56.1 percent stake in AI sound startup Supertone

  • 16

    NK slams NATO chief's Seoul visit as 'prelude to war'

  • 18

    Cute canine film 'My Heart Puppy' reunites Yoo Yeon-seok, Cha Tae-hyun

  • 20

    Korea-US defense talks likely to bring up extended deterrence

Close scrollclosebutton

Close for 24 hours

Open
  • The Korea Times
  • search
  • all menu
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • Photos
  • Video
  • World
  • Sports
  • Opinion
  • Entertainment & Art
  • Lifestyle
  • Finance
  • Business
  • National
  • North Korea
National
  • Politics
  • Foreign Affairs
  • Multicultural Community
  • Defense
  • Environment & Animals
  • Law & Crime
  • Society
  • Health & Science
Wed, February 1, 2023 | 04:50
Wrong policies blamed for failing to raise birthrate
Posted : 2016-10-04 13:58
Updated : 2016-10-04 14:15
Print PreviewPrint Preview
Font Size UpFont Size Up
Font Size DownFont Size Down
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • kakaolink
  • whatsapp
  • reddit
  • mailto
  • link
By Choi Sung-jin

Successive governments have spent about 80 trillion won ($72 billion) tackling Korea's notoriously low birthrate over the past decade or so. Yet the nation's total fertility rate - the average number of children that would be born to a woman over her lifetime - barely rose, from 1.08 in 2005 to 1.24 last year.

A recent report shows some of the reasons for the extremely ineffective outcome.

Various government policies to jack up the fertility rate have produced few results because they failed to point out the root of the problem, said the report written by the Korean Women's Development Institute.

"As I am a part-time worker, I can hardly make long-term plans to have a family," the report quoted a female worker, 29, as saying. "Even if I get married, childbirth is almost unthinkable because few firms will employee alternative workers to give maternity leave to contract workers."

A man, 35, who is soon to be married, said: "The biggest reason I have put off my marriage was I couldn't get a house. The government's housing policy is not very effective for those who need homes most."

Policymakers, while not seriously accepting the reality that young people tend to avoid marriage and childbirth in the first place, have focused spending on bearing and rearing children, said the report, made at the request of the Ministry of Strategy and Finance.

"As the reasons and circumstances for avoiding marriage and childbirth are different depending on sex and employment, the government is advised to offer custom-made policies to suit the segmented groups," it said.

The institute's research team, through an advanced study, cited two core reasons for the low birthrate - shortened child-bearing years due to the rise in the age of first marriage and delayed childbirth among women who have jobs and marry late in life. The first reason is attributed to job insecurity and housing problems and the second to maintaining careers and the burden of raising children.

However, existing government policies, such as free childcare, baby breaks and a flexible work system, mainly target groups who have children, the report said.

Of the total 37.7 trillion won the government spent on raising the fertility rate between 2011 and 2015, for instance, 34.8 trillion won, or 92 percent, was allocated to bearing and rearing children, with the other 2.7 trillion won spent on employment policy, the report said. Housing and educational policies were even implemented as non-budgetary projects, it said.

"The policy against low fertility has not sufficiently taken into account the younger generation's desire for policy support by failing to allot a budget to singles and couples who are yet to have their first baby," the report said. "The government has regarded the new social phenomenon of late marriage as the problem of individuals, failing to provide support from the aspect of jobs and housing."

Noting that within the younger generation, individuals have different problems and difficulties depending on their sex, employment and number of children, the report advised the government to come up with policy packages optimized for each group.

To propose specific alternatives, the research team divided 1,000 people aged 25-39 by their sex, marriage, employment and number of children into 10 groups of 100 people, and surveyed which policy each group needs most.

The unmarried group wanted an employment support policy most, asking the government to guarantee the security of their first jobs for at least five years and convert part-timers into full-time workers. The married group wanted the childcare leave system strengthened. Unmarried men showed the biggest interest in housing support, while married female workers called for better work-life balance by expanding daycare centers at companies. The unemployed group wanted the government to increase part-time jobs and expand childcare subsidies.

A Ministry of Health and Welfare official said: "By accepting the assessments of the first and second five-year plans, we reflected housing and employment policies in the third plan announced last December."

Emailchoisj@ktimes.com Article ListMore articles by this reporter
 
Top 10 Stories
1Korean Lunar New Year vs. Chinese Lunar New Year Korean Lunar New Year vs. Chinese Lunar New Year
2US bill introduced to honor Korean War hero US bill introduced to honor Korean War hero
3South Korea, US to expand size and content of joint military drillsSouth Korea, US to expand size and content of joint military drills
4Popular travel YouTuber recalls painful memories of being bullied at school Popular travel YouTuber recalls painful memories of being bullied at school
5Holy Moly concert series brings 4 punk bands to Haebangchon Holy Moly concert series brings 4 punk bands to Haebangchon
6Samsung refuses to cut chip output despite plunging profitsSamsung refuses to cut chip output despite plunging profits
7Yonsei University global forum Yonsei University global forum
8Cyber University of Korea offers online Korean language programs for foreignersCyber University of Korea offers online Korean language programs for foreigners
9IMF slashes Korea's 2023 economic growth outlook to 1.7%IMF slashes Korea's 2023 economic growth outlook to 1.7%
10Korea Exchange to toughen rules against unfair traders Korea Exchange to toughen rules against unfair traders
Top 5 Entertainment News
1Song Joong-ki marries British woman, expects baby Song Joong-ki marries British woman, expects baby
2K-pop releases for February K-pop releases for February
3Itaewon music fest brings love to the healing process Itaewon music fest brings love to the healing process
4Smiling flower, mushroom bomb, zombie: What do Takashi Murakami's grotesquely 'kawaii' creatures tell us? Smiling flower, mushroom bomb, zombie: What do Takashi Murakami's grotesquely 'kawaii' creatures tell us?
5Cute canine film 'My Heart Puppy' reunites Yoo Yeon-seok, Cha Tae-hyun Cute canine film 'My Heart Puppy' reunites Yoo Yeon-seok, Cha Tae-hyun
DARKROOM
  • Nepal plane crash

    Nepal plane crash

  • Brazil capital uprising

    Brazil capital uprising

  • Happy New Year 2023

    Happy New Year 2023

  • World Cup 2022 Final - Argentina vs France

    World Cup 2022 Final - Argentina vs France

  • World Cup 2022 France vs Morocco

    World Cup 2022 France vs Morocco

CEO & Publisher : Oh Young-jin
Digital News Email : webmaster@koreatimes.co.kr
Tel : 02-724-2114
Online newspaper registration No : 서울,아52844
Date of registration : 2020.02.05
Masthead : The Korea Times
Copyright © koreatimes.co.kr. All rights reserved.
  • About Us
  • Introduction
  • History
  • Contact Us
  • Products & Services
  • Subscribe
  • E-paper
  • RSS Service
  • Content Sales
  • Site Map
  • Policy
  • Code of Ethics
  • Ombudsman
  • Privacy Statement
  • Terms of Service
  • Copyright Policy
  • Family Site
  • Hankook Ilbo
  • Dongwha Group