Korean men more willing to become parents, while women's views hold steady, survey shows

By Lee Hae-rin

Korean men have grown to be slightly more willing to become parents while women have not, a report showed Sunday.

According to the 2024 Seoul Family Report published by the Seoul Family Center, Seoul citizens in their 20s to 40s who do not have children rated their willingness to become parents at an average of 3.4 points on a scale of one to five.

The annual report, which surveyed 884 people from July 8 to 14 last year, showed that the figure rose from the previous year’s 3.2 points.

Notably, men scored 3.7 points, showing an upward trend from 3.3 points in 2021 and 2022 and 3.5 points in 2023. But the figure for women remained the same as in 2023 at 3.0 points, slightly higher than the 2.7 points from 2021 and 2022.

The survey asked respondents who scored more than 3 points about their reasons for wanting to become parents. Their responses included "wanting someone to give love to," "the desire to have a child with a loved one" and "the reward and enjoyment of raising children."

The report also analyzed the reasons behind Koreans' willingness to become parents, finding that responses were similar across genders.

Both women and men who scored less than 3 points cited "a lack of confidence in raising children as well as they expect" as a reason. The survey found that more women than men believe "Korean society is not conducive to raising children."

Also, there was no significant difference by gender on the economic aspect of child-rearing, with many citing "the cost of raising children and education is burdensome."

"It seems that the traditional gender role expectation that women are in charge of child care is projected," the report stated, "The background of women not wanting to become parents is the burden of becoming main caregivers and that Korean society that is not parent-friendly."

The report suggested, "The low birthrate response policy should focus on changing the cultural aspects of Korean society."

The Bank of Korea warned in March 2023 that Korea will face reverse growth after 2050 if the current low birthrate continues.

Last year, Korea's total fertility rate rebounded for the first time in nine years and stood at 0.75, up from the previous year's 0.72.