Young Koreans More and More Averse to Marriage

Young Koreans have a more and more negative view of marriage but increasingly support cohabitation between unmarried couples.

Statistics Korea on Monday said the proportion of Koreans aged 19 to 34 who have a positive view of marriage has declined from 56.5 percent 10 years ago to 36.4 percent. Only 28 percent of women in the age group have a positive view of marriage.

In contrast, the number who feel it is okay for an unmarried couple to live together increased from 61.8 percent to an overwhelming 80.9 percent over the same period, reflecting a seismic shift in the attitudes of young Koreans to marriage and childbirth.

The proportion who feel household chores should be shared also rose from 59.7 percent to 84.4 percent. Some 41.3 percent think chores should be equally divided, up from 20.4 percent a decade ago, while believers in a work-life balance increased from 29.1 percent to 45.4 percent.

Some 39.4 percent see no problem with childbirth out of wedlock, up 10 percent from a decade ago. The proportion of young people who feel people should have children if they marry increased from 46.4 percent to 53.5 percent.

On the question of adoption, the proportion of supporters plummeted by around 21 percentage points to just 31.5 percent, apparently because of the cost of raising a child in Korea.