Number of marriages in S. Korea drops to record low in 2017
Arirang News
2018-03-23
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It's becoming the new normal here in South Korea,... fewer couples tying the knot.
It's largely due to economic factors like low pay, poor job security and a lack of affordable housing.
Unfortunately in a nation desperate for more babies,... the trend looks set to continue this year.
Won Jung-hwan tells us more.
As young people delay their marriage in South Korea,… the number of people getting married per 1-thousand fell to its lowest level last year since data first started being compiled in 1970.
"According to a government report on Wednesday,… the number of people tying the knot has gradually decreased since 2011,… hitting its lowest level in 2017 with less than 270-thousand marriages, down of 6-point-1 percent from a year earlier. "
The data also showed that the average age of marriage for Korean men reached a record high of 32-point-9 years in 2017,… while the average age of first-time brides stood at 30-point-2 years, a significant rise from the average of less than 28 years almost a decade ago.
And here are some of the reasons why people think young Koreans are delaying their marriage.
"While a lot of people want to settle down in Seoul and prefer not to live outside of the capital,… the cost of living in Seoul, including housing, is very expensive,… and I think that is one of the reasons why a lot of people have to postpone their marriage."
"Of course there is an issue of the unemployment rate,… but there is also a tendency in the country that many young people want to work for big corporations. I feel that these factors could contribute to young people delaying their marriage as they cannot find a good-paying job amid a tough employment market."
Unfortunately according to a senior director from a well-known matchmaking company, it seems that delaying marriage is likely to continue further.
"I think this falling trend will continue for the time being. This is because even though the population in South Korea is decreasing,... the average age of marriage is increasing every year by a margin of 0.2 to 0.5 years due to the changing perception of early marriage."
He says that although people could more open-minded about using services like matchmaking companies to find a partner,... the government also has a key role to play in tackling the country's low marriage rate.
"While the government policies have been focused upon childcare and birth, I believe there should be more campaigns that could encourage marriage among young couples as well. In Singapore for example, when a couple gets married, the government provides support with their purchase of a house."
Social and economic factors, like an unstable economy and high youth unemployment, appear to be combining with changing perceptions of marriage among young Koreans. This trend is a worrying concern as some experts predict that by 2025,... one out of ten 50-year old women in Korea will have spent their lives without tying the knot.
Won Jung-hwan, A
It's largely due to economic factors like low pay, poor job security and a lack of affordable housing.
Unfortunately in a nation desperate for more babies,... the trend looks set to continue this year.
Won Jung-hwan tells us more.
As young people delay their marriage in South Korea,… the number of people getting married per 1-thousand fell to its lowest level last year since data first started being compiled in 1970.
"According to a government report on Wednesday,… the number of people tying the knot has gradually decreased since 2011,… hitting its lowest level in 2017 with less than 270-thousand marriages, down of 6-point-1 percent from a year earlier. "
The data also showed that the average age of marriage for Korean men reached a record high of 32-point-9 years in 2017,… while the average age of first-time brides stood at 30-point-2 years, a significant rise from the average of less than 28 years almost a decade ago.
And here are some of the reasons why people think young Koreans are delaying their marriage.
"While a lot of people want to settle down in Seoul and prefer not to live outside of the capital,… the cost of living in Seoul, including housing, is very expensive,… and I think that is one of the reasons why a lot of people have to postpone their marriage."
"Of course there is an issue of the unemployment rate,… but there is also a tendency in the country that many young people want to work for big corporations. I feel that these factors could contribute to young people delaying their marriage as they cannot find a good-paying job amid a tough employment market."
Unfortunately according to a senior director from a well-known matchmaking company, it seems that delaying marriage is likely to continue further.
"I think this falling trend will continue for the time being. This is because even though the population in South Korea is decreasing,... the average age of marriage is increasing every year by a margin of 0.2 to 0.5 years due to the changing perception of early marriage."
He says that although people could more open-minded about using services like matchmaking companies to find a partner,... the government also has a key role to play in tackling the country's low marriage rate.
"While the government policies have been focused upon childcare and birth, I believe there should be more campaigns that could encourage marriage among young couples as well. In Singapore for example, when a couple gets married, the government provides support with their purchase of a house."
Social and economic factors, like an unstable economy and high youth unemployment, appear to be combining with changing perceptions of marriage among young Koreans. This trend is a worrying concern as some experts predict that by 2025,... one out of ten 50-year old women in Korea will have spent their lives without tying the knot.
Won Jung-hwan, A
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