South Korea is overshadowed by a sex recession, which is changing the way of life of married couples. One of them is experimented on by a newly married office worker, Choi Jung-hee. He admitted that he is reluctant to have children.
Choi Jung-hee said she often hears stories of people who are happy to have children. However, she still intends to be childless or not have children because the burden of raising children is also quite large.
“My life and my husband’s are the main ones,” she said, a The Guardian.
“We want a happy life together, and while people say that having children can bring us happiness, it also means that many times we may feel like giving up,” she continued.
That there has been a change in the lifestyle of South Korean couples can also be seen from the data on the share of families with one child, which in total exceeds 40 percent. In addition, the number of marriages that hit an all-time low also plummeted to 193,000 last year.
“In a country where half the population now believes marriage is not a necessity. Some, especially women, prioritize personal freedom and willfully rule out marriage altogether.”
Although the desire to have children is high, the culture of women who are expected to become full-fledged housewives is still high in this ginseng country. This is also influenced by gender wages there which are the worst in the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
Not just lifestyle, the shadow of a sex recession is also affecting the birth rate in South Korea. According to Statistics Korea population data as of November 23, the number of newborns in the third quarter (July-September) was of 64,085 children, a decrease of 3.7%, or 2,466 on an annual basis. This is the lowest level since the statistics were compiled in 1981.
From January to September, the number of babies born was 192,223, down 15,582 from 202,805 last year. It is the first time since the statistics were compiled that the number of newborns has dropped below 200,000.
“The number of children born has decreased while the female population has decreased and the number of marriages has continued to decline,” said Roh Hyung-joon, head of the population trends division at Statistics Korea.
“Furthermore, the birth rate decreased with increasing age at birth and the childbearing period was shortened.”
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