The finding came to light in research conducted from 2017 to 2019, which excluded variables related to Covid-19. - AFP
SEOUL, May 14 (Korea Herald/ANN): South Korean men in the top income quintile have a much better chance of tying the knot and having children than those earning less, according to data released on Sunday.
Low-income Korean men are likely to be unmarried and childless till they hit their mid-40s, data from the Korea Labour Institute (KLI) analysing labour and fertility trends showed.
The finding came to light in research conducted from 2017 to 2019, which excluded variables related to Covid-19, which affected relationship statuses.
About 30 per cent of men in the top 10 per cent income bracket said they have either been married or are living with partners. Only 8 per cent of men in the lowest 10 per cent income bracket, meanwhile, are married or in a relationship.
About 76 per cent of high-earning men aged 31 to 35 are married or have had partners, compared to just 31 per cent for those in the low-income group.
Marriage rates among men aged 36 to 40 in the high-income group were 91 per cent, while it was a mere 10 per cent for low-income earners.
Likewise, nearly all men aged 41 to 45 with higher economic statuses have been or are still married. Just half of the lowest-earning men in this age bracket have had an experience with marriage.
Some 98 per cent of men 46 to 50 years old are or have been married. But the chances improved for those in the low-income group in this age bracket, with 76 per cent saying they finally have found a wife or a partner.
The report said those in the low-income category choose to live in one-person households for financial reasons.
“The average economic gains of men have increased compared to the past, and marriage rates are increasing.
The results of this study can hopefully help solve the problem of declining birth rates,” said KLI associate research fellow Kwak Eun-hye. - Korea Herald/ANN
