South Korea's Fertility Rate Falls Again as Women Worry about Jobs
2024-02-29
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1South Korea's fertility rate, which already is the world's lowest, dropped again in 2023.
2This means that the number of babies a South Korean woman is expected to have during her reproductive years dropped from 0.78 in 2022 to 0.72 in 2023.
3Concerns about missing out on long-term jobs and the cost of raising a child are reasons given for the low rate.
4The fertility number is much lower than the rate of 2.1 per woman that would be needed to keep South Korea's population stable.
5In 2015, when the cost of housing and education were lower, the rate was 1.24.
6That means South Korea's population has been shrinking for a long time.
7The South Korean government is trying to encourage men and women to start families.
8Since 2018, the nation has been the only member of a group of large economies to have a rate below one.
9The Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) includes a wide group of nations such as Britain, the United States, Australia, New Zealand as well as Mexico and Chile.
10Among OECD nations, South Korea has the largest difference in pay between men and women.
11Balancing motherhood with a job is a concern for South Korean women.
12Jung Jae-hoon is a professor at Seoul Women's University.
13Jung noted that women have trouble moving their careers forward after taking leave to care for children.
14An example of this is Gwak Tae-hee who is 34.
15She is concerned about missing career opportunities if she stops working to start a family.
16She has been married for three years and works as a manager for a company that makes milk products.
17"Having a baby is on my list, but there's windows for promotions and I don't want to be passed over," she said.
18Gwak said she considered starting medical treatments last year that would help her have a child.
19However, she decided against it because she wanted to take on work projects that would help her career.
20"I hope it's not too late when I try next year or the year after," Gwak said.
21If the birth rate continues to drop, South Korea's population of about 51 million will be cut in half by 2100.
22In Seoul, the largest city and capital, the fertility rate is only 0.55.
23The nation has an election in April, and politicians have been offering ideas to make it easier for young adults to consider having children.
24The ideas include more housing and financial support for people thinking of having a family.
25An official at Statistics Korea said there are some people who are a couple but do not get married.
26In South Korea, many people see marriage as a requirement to have children, so that reduces the number of babies.
27But the official told Reuters that right now the group is centering its work on trying to help married people feel better about starting families.
28Politicians are worried that additional social spending has not encouraged more families.
29Since 2006, the government has spent about $270 billion in areas such as helping families pay for childcare, but the fertility numbers are still falling.
30South Korea, however, is not the only nation concerned about falling birth rates.
31China and Japan also recorded all-time low rates in 2022.
32I'm Dan Friedell.
1South Korea's fertility rate, which already is the world's lowest, dropped again in 2023. 2This means that the number of babies a South Korean woman is expected to have during her reproductive years dropped from 0.78 in 2022 to 0.72 in 2023. 3Concerns about missing out on long-term jobs and the cost of raising a child are reasons given for the low rate. 4The fertility number is much lower than the rate of 2.1 per woman that would be needed to keep South Korea's population stable. 5In 2015, when the cost of housing and education were lower, the rate was 1.24. That means South Korea's population has been shrinking for a long time. 6The South Korean government is trying to encourage men and women to start families. Since 2018, the nation has been the only member of a group of large economies to have a rate below one. The Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) includes a wide group of nations such as Britain, the United States, Australia, New Zealand as well as Mexico and Chile. 7Among OECD nations, South Korea has the largest difference in pay between men and women. Balancing motherhood with a job is a concern for South Korean women. 8Jung Jae-hoon is a professor at Seoul Women's University. Jung noted that women have trouble moving their careers forward after taking leave to care for children. 9An example of this is Gwak Tae-hee who is 34. She is concerned about missing career opportunities if she stops working to start a family. She has been married for three years and works as a manager for a company that makes milk products. 10"Having a baby is on my list, but there's windows for promotions and I don't want to be passed over," she said. 11Gwak said she considered starting medical treatments last year that would help her have a child. However, she decided against it because she wanted to take on work projects that would help her career. 12"I hope it's not too late when I try next year or the year after," Gwak said. 13If the birth rate continues to drop, South Korea's population of about 51 million will be cut in half by 2100. 14In Seoul, the largest city and capital, the fertility rate is only 0.55. 15The nation has an election in April, and politicians have been offering ideas to make it easier for young adults to consider having children. The ideas include more housing and financial support for people thinking of having a family. 16An official at Statistics Korea said there are some people who are a couple but do not get married. In South Korea, many people see marriage as a requirement to have children, so that reduces the number of babies. But the official told Reuters that right now the group is centering its work on trying to help married people feel better about starting families. 17Politicians are worried that additional social spending has not encouraged more families. Since 2006, the government has spent about $270 billion in areas such as helping families pay for childcare, but the fertility numbers are still falling. 18South Korea, however, is not the only nation concerned about falling birth rates. China and Japan also recorded all-time low rates in 2022. 19I'm Dan Friedell. 20Dan Friedell adapted this story for Learning English based on a report by Reuters. 21_______________________________________ 22Words in This Story 23fertility rate -n. the average number of children a woman can be expected to have during her reproductive years 24stable -adj. in a state or condition that does not change too much 25encourage -v. to cause someone to want to do something; to show that people should be doing an activity or fulfilling a responsibility 26career -n. the course of a person's work life and the jobs that they do 27opportunity -n. a chance to do something like take a new job that might lead to better pay and conditions 28manager -n. a person who oversees a business activity and is responsible for it 29We want to hear from you. Have you put off having children? What kind of policies would make a difference for you?