More Koreans open to unmarried couples cohabiting, having children

gettyimagesbank Insufficient cash picked as reason for avoiding marriage By Yi Whan-woo More Koreans are open to living together and giving birth to children without getting married, as the country faces changes in its traditional notions of family, according to a report released Tuesday. The report was based on a biennial survey taken by Statistics Korea in May to discover Koreans' perceptions of family, education, well-being, social safety and living conditions. Of the 36,000 respondents aged 13 or older, 67.

4 percent said they find it acceptable for unmarried couples to cohabit. "The rate marked a steady increase since 2012," the stats agency said, noting it rose from 45.9 percent in 2012 to 46.



6 percent in 2014, 48 percent in 2016, 56.4 percent in 2018, 59.7 percent in 2020 and 65.

2 percent in 2022. It also said people are increasingly supportive of giving birth to children out of wedlock. It noted that 37.

2 percent of the 36,000 respondents were supportive, up from 22.4 percent in 2012, 22.5 percent in 2014, 24.

2 percent in 2016, 30.3 percent in 2018, 30.7 percent in 2020 and 34.

7 percent in 2022. The finding comes amid the swelling price of weddings, which 76.9 percent of the respondents said cost "way too much.

" The high costs of weddings, housing and childrearing have been behind Korea's low marriage and birthrates. A total of 31.3 percent of the survey takers picked insufficient cash as a reason for avoiding marriage.

Another 15.4 percent found childrearing expenses an obstacle to marriage, and another 12.9 percent found career instability to be such an obstacle.

On whether marriage is necessary, 52.5 percent found it is, 41.5 percent said it is "a matter of choice" and another 3.

3 percent said it is not. "Simply put, 44.8 percent of Koreans are not so positive about getting married," Statistics Korea said.

It noted that women were more pessimistic than men about marriage, especially single women. By gender, 58.3 percent of men said marriage is necessary, whereas 46.

8 percent of women responded the same. For single men, 41.6 percent of them had positive attitudes about marriage, but only 26 percent of single women did.

The positive perceptions were correlated with age. Some 33.7 percent of those aged between 13 and 19 said "Yes" to marriage, compared to 39.

7 percent of 20-somethings and 43.9 percent of 30-somethings. Concerning the ideal number of children for a family, 66.

9 percent of the respondents answered two, 19.2 percent said one and 10.1 percent said three.

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