Working Mothers Often Unhappy with Their Marriage

Working mothers are less happy with their marriage than full-time housewives, a survey suggests. In a press release on Tuesday, Statistics Korea said only 24 percent of working mothers are satisfied with their marriage as against 28 percent of full-time housewives.

Some 31 percent of working mothers said they are outright dissatisfied with their marriage, compared to only 25 percent of full-time housewives.

Statistics Korea defined working mothers as women with jobs who have children under 18 and full-time housewives as women without jobs in the same position.

The survey shows that working mothers are more skeptical about marriage and more open to the possibility of divorce. Fifty-two percent of working mothers said they support marriage, but among housewives the proportion was 56 percent. Only 49 percent of working mothers said they oppose divorce, as opposed to 53 percent of housewives. Fewer working mothers (55 percent) than full-time housewives (61 percent) are happy with their husbands and children.

Statistics Korea explained that working mothers shoulder the same burden of childcare and housework as full-time housewives are even though they have jobs. Indeed, 87 percent of women in dual-income households said they take care of most housework, more or less the same proportion as the 90 percent among housewives.