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Six out of 10 working Korean women quit their jobs when they get married, and half of working mothers eventually decide to stay at home after having their first child, a nationwide survey suggests. The survey of 3,082 married women aged between 20 and 44 was conducted by the Health and Welfare Ministry and the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs, who also asked 2,670 single men and women what they thought about tying the knot.
Among those who gave up their career for marriage and children, some 69 percent said they wanted to work again but could not. Some 33.6 percent said their children were still too young to take care of themselves, 25.3 percent that it was difficult to both work and raise children, and 23.7 percent cited their failure to find a suitable job. If they did eventually find another job, it tended not to be as good as the one they used to have. Some 43 percent of those who had been office workers were able to find a similar job to the one they had. The rest took service or sales jobs.
Of women who got married and gave birth, those who had to quit their job were more likely not to want any more children than those who did not give up their jobs, the survey found.
Among singles, an increasing number took a dim view of marriage, with only 49.2 percent approving of it, way down from 63.3 percent in 1998. When asked what they considered most important when choosing their life partners, men cited personality, followed by trust and love, health and appearance, while women cited wealth.
To boost the country¡¯s low birthrate, married women said the government should focus on subsidizing the cost of raising children. Working mothers wanted government support allowing them to stay in work, while stay-at-home mothers wanted better childcare infrastructure. The ministry promised to reflect the results of the survey in its plan to address the low birthrate and prepare for an aging society.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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