According to recent data from Statistics Korea, as of November 2018, 40% of South Korean couples married for less than five years had not had children. The reasons behind this are largely attributed to two factors: "both spouses are employed" and "they do not own property".
Yonhap News TV also reported that there are 1.052 million married couples in South Korea, of which 423,000 are childless, a 2.6% increase from 2018. Statistics Korea believes that to increase the birth rate, it is necessary to alleviate working women's concerns about childcare.
In fact, this dilemma of "young people being unwilling to have children" is not unique to South Korea; China is also facing it. Data shows that the number of births in 2018 dropped to 15.23 million, with the universal two-child policy falling short of expectations, a significant decrease of 2 million compared to 2017, marking a new low since 1949, excluding the period of natural disasters in 1960-1961. This low birth rate not only leads to a shrinking national labor force but also accelerates aging, exacerbating the problem of surplus men. In response, many experts have called for an immediate and comprehensive relaxation of birth restrictions to encourage more people to want and dare to have children.
Why are more and more young people unwilling to have children? Actually, this is due to a variety of factors, the main reasons being as follows.
1. Significant economic pressure
The economic base determines the superstructure. In today's society, with its high pressures, raising a child is a significant expense for ordinary families. Without a house, a car, or money, children cannot attend good schools or enjoy quality material comforts. A frugal lifestyle can put children at a disadvantage from the start. Out of a sense of responsibility towards their children, many young people simply choose not to have children.
2. Worried about the impact on career development
Having a child is extremely exhausting. After becoming pregnant, many women are unable to handle heavy workloads due to physical reasons. This not only reduces their competitiveness in society but also affects their career development and the realization of their personal value. Especially after giving birth, women often find it impossible to balance caring for their children and pursuing their careers simultaneously. If their focus leans towards their children, they may find themselves falling behind in the job market and facing potential career risks.
3. Childbirth is too hard.
For women, ten months of pregnancy is a difficult process, requiring them to face many physiological discomforts such as nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, constipation, dizziness, and anemia. During childbirth, they have to endure even greater pain, with cesarean sections, severe bleeding, difficult labor, fainting, and many other possible accidents that can extinguish a woman's desire to have children.
4. Lack of confidence in marriage
A lack of confidence in marriage can make women hesitant to have children, leading them to believe that if they divorce in the future, it's better not to have children at all. Although national regulations stipulate that if a child lives with the mother after a divorce, the father must pay child support, the cost of raising a child is so high now that that amount is simply a drop in the bucket and cannot meet the child's normal living needs.
5. Don't want to lose personal freedom
Before having a child, you can eat and drink well and play freely after get off work. But after having a child, it means you have more responsibilities on your shoulders. Your body and soul will always revolve around the child. You have to take care of his/her daily life, teach him/her to understand things, and take him/her to the doctor as soon as he/she gets sick. You are busy every day and have to give up your own free time.
