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The Rise of Unmarried Men: Changing Perceptions of Marriage and Family

[앵커]

Since ancient times, we have considered coffins, marriages, funerals, and rituals as rites of passage in life, but among these, it seems difficult to say that everyone goes through marriage now.

Statistics show that 47% of men between the ages of 25 and 49 have never been married, and nearly half have never been married.

It means that you are single without a spouse, divorced, or bereaved.

In 1990, this rate was 19%, in 2000 it was 24%, and it doubled in 20 years.

The percentage of unmarried men was originally higher than that of women, and although both men and women tend to increase significantly, the change was greater for men.

The phenomenon of women’s career interruption was still there.

Reporter Seo Young-min took a look at the changed world.

[리포트]

A 36-year-old man was asked about his thoughts on marriage.

[36세 남성/올해 결혼 : “제 주변에도 결혼 안 한 친구들도 있기도 하고… 나이가 다 찼기 때문에 결혼해야겠다는 마음이 들었던 건 아닌 것 같습니다. 굳이 급하지 않다고 생각하시는 분들도 있는 것 같아요.”]

It is not necessary to get married, and the change in perception that it is not necessary to get married quickly is cited as the reason for the increase in the unmarried rate.

In fact, only 50% of the respondents said that they must get married, and the number of marriages, which was about 400,000 per year in the mid-1990s, decreased to about 190,000 last year.

In particular, the proportion of unmarried men in their late 40s rose from 7.5% in 2010 to 20.5% in 2020.

It can be inferred that the age of first marriage for men has shifted by a certain percentage to after age 50.

For similar reasons, the percentage of unmarried women is also on the rise, but lower than the percentage of unmarried men in the same age group.

[이철희/서울대 경제학부 교수 : “80년대 초부터 출생성비가 벌어지기 시작했어요. (남성이 여성보다 더 많이 태어나는) 출생 성비 영향일 가능성이 매우 높아요.”]

Statistics also revealed the reality of women who find it difficult to balance work and family.

The decline in the female employment rate during childbirth and parenting has remained the same for 20 years, which is different from the general pattern observed among OECD member countries.

[김경희/통계청 사회통계기획과장 : “취업을 단념하거나 경력단절 여성이 되는 경우가 있는데요. 남자의 육아휴직 참여가 높아지긴 했지만, 적극적인 사용이 더 필요하다고 보여집니다.”]

The percentage of women taking parental leave is three times higher than that of men, and the rate of parental leave for children aged 0 who require intensive care was 82% for women and 12% for men.

This is Seo Young-min from KBS News.

Cinematographer: Lee Sang-hoon / Video editing: Go application / Graphics: Chae Sang-woo Kim Hyun-gap

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2023-07-11 12:38:00
#men #ages #married.. #Career #break #problem #women

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