Single motherhood trend in Korea

With a population of about 51 million, South Korea saw its birth rate hit a record low in 2023, with the average number of children per woman being 0.72. Although it is a deeply traditional East Asian society, analysts say there is a shift taking place among younger generations in modern South Korea.

A single mother in Korea. Photo: EASTASIAFORUM

“There used to be a deep-rooted prejudice in Korean society against women who became mothers out of wedlock. A woman who gave birth without being married was considered guilty,” said Hyobin Lee, a visiting professor of politics and ethics at Chungnam National University. She said it was not just attitudes toward unmarried mothers but also toward divorced women and widows, who were often looked down upon and stigmatized in traditional Korean society. These women were often thought to have little desire to remarry. It is also worth noting that there was little criticism directed at men involved in similar situations, according to Professor Lee. Moreover, in a patriarchal society, stigmatization of children born out of wedlock seems inevitable.

However, the latest government figures show that discrimination against single mothers is no longer as widespread as it once was. In 2023, about 10,900 babies were born to women who were not married or living together, accounting for 4.7% of all births and the highest number since statistics began being collected in 1981. While that number may be relatively small compared to other countries, it represents an upward trend in the country, with 7,700 births outside of marriage in 2021 and 9,800 in 2022. Due to increasing work pressure, young people are having a harder time thinking about starting a family. Furthermore, a study published in 2023 found that South Korea has the highest cost of raising children in the world. The change in social norms has also led to more divorces.

Professor Hyobin Lee points out several other key points that may have led to the trend of single motherhood. In 2020, Sayuri Fujita, a Japanese TV personality with a large following in Korea, confirmed that her newborn son was conceived through sperm donation and that she was not married. Similarly, a contestant on the popular TV show I am Solo said that she was not married but wanted to have a child, so she had a son with her ex-boyfriend and accepted single motherhood... Stories like this are no longer strange in Korean society. Some women want children but cannot find a suitable partner or get pregnant while dating and choose to give birth and raise the child on their own. Even the Korean government has introduced more welfare policies to support children from single-parent families. Previously, welfare policies mainly focused on encouraging the birth rate in happy and normal families. There are now more tax breaks and preferential treatment for children of single parents when applying for kindergarten or childcare, as well as when applying for housing.

KHANH MINH

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/xu-huong-lam-me-don-than-o-han-quoc-post759980.html