Comparison ofArticles about Low Fertility in South Korea
Chloe Kwon(Se youn Kwon)
GEW 101-A
Professor. Sean Wilkinson
April 1, 2022
The duration, magnitude, and speed of aging in South Korea make it unique.At this rate, the life expectancies for the aged keep improving while making it a fast-growing population aging.This also implies that the South Korean population shall start declining soon. With a significant impact on the people, fertility has turned to the lowest in the world.Some decades ago, South Korea enacted laws to curb the rising population growth rates based on the rise in overcrowding. The country followed a policy intended to create a sustainable economic structure and improve health services. As such, numerous researchers have sought to examine the low fertility rates in South Korea.Seung Hyun and Sam-Sik Lee are among the researchers who sought to understand the South Korean fertility rate’s reason, causes, and situation.Seung looks at the reasons for the decline in fertility, the social influencers to implementing measures within the East Asian nations, more so South Korea, and the factors hindering the proper execution of actions that intend to increase the fertility rates. As such, he narrows to analyzing the gender and social aspects that surround the issue of low fertility. Sam-Sik analyzes the demographic factors related to marriages and childbearing age among women and policy adherence with an interactive approach with the same goal.Therefore, their research can be compared under their arguments on demographic characteristics to understand the situation of low fertility n South Korea.
Social Factors and Causes of Low Fertility
According to the research by Seung Hyun, South Korea shall be heading to extinction if the trend of low fertility continues. He seeks further tounderstand why the decline in fertility is exhibited despite the two-child approach intended to address declining fertility. Some attribution of the basis for the situation is the increased rate of educated women and their employment; this translates further to an upsurge in the figures of unmarried women (Seung Hyun, pg. 32).As a result, women have turned more independent, aiming at turning their dreams into reality; they view marriage as an obstruction and deterrence of independence.
Seung furthers his research on the direction of liberalization of the South Korean market to a global scale. This meant a high demand in the educated class that forced the majority of the young South Korean population to dedicate much of their life to education to secure themselvesemployment post.For that reason, the demographic situation in the nation began drastic alterations.The marriage rate since the 1970s has been on the decline as the majority avoid having children to secure their current positions of work and live a career-led life (Seung Hyun, pg. 32).
Korean Confucianism is another area of focus considered by Seung Hyun. He describes it as a phenomenon encompassing the negative impact of the South Korean sectarianism of academics. This reason influences the option between giving up childbirth and accepting one amidst the fears of child upbringing and care. Due to the educational demand in the employment sector, most South Korean mothers end up paying for education and childcare (Seung Hyun, pg. 33). Many pay extra to earn more education time to meet the job necessities in the nation. According to Hyun, other issues, such as the culture of authoritarian patriarchy, facilitate the decline of fertility rates. Therefore, most girls have a prior notion that marriage threatens their careers and painful childbirth. Hyun asserts that despite labor laws being in place in South Korea to protect pregnant women from discrimination, in many are the instances that the laws are bypassed or wholly neglected. Therefore, women try as much to keep off the situation to increase their odds of retaining and acquiring employment.
Sam-Sik discusses the demographic factors of several women and the fertility of women. He asserts that women are on the rise between 25 and 29 but with decreased fertility. I.e., a large proportion of productive females exist with very few childbirths. Further, he asserts that the consecutive age set between 30 and 34 experiences a decrease in the number of women but increased fertility. The ages between 35 and 39 indicate an increase in fertility and women’s proportion (Sam-Sik, pg. 65). Sam-Sik explains the implications of such demographics; he induces that females adapt a pattern to give birth at later stages in their lives, having initially pursued their careers to their intended positions. It begins with the early years of employment when the productive population is at its prime; with the demographic information Sam-Sik presents, the young ladies have low fertility rates as the majority focus on work, as the ages of 35 to 39 approach, the ladies have achieved a much stable career life that they can sire children (Sam-Sik, pg. 65).
Conclusion
On account of the economic influence, Sam-Sik asserts that as the rate of employment rises, so does the standard of living rise. As a result, an individual remains in a position to match the demands and responsibilities. Therefore, Sam-Sik relates the trend in the number of women and fertility to the low fertility rate in South Korea. According to the argument by Sam-Sik, the young and productive are more career-driven to pursue dreams and stabilities such that they lack both capacity and reason for childbirth (Sam-Sik, pg. 66). Similarly, the aged are associated with long years of work and career journey that they have attained a comfortable standard of living hence thinking of childbirths. This explains the increased fertility in the aging population.
Sam-Sik and Seung have used different approaches to the demographics of the South Korean population and the state of the economy to explain the situation of low birth rates in the nation. Inthe agreement, the different researchers arrive at the same result and the exact cause of the current aging population. The young have much of their productive lives pursuing their carrier goals and sideline or avoid marriage and childbirth to safeguard their interest in making dreams come true and securing their employment positions.Therefore, employment remains a contributor to the current state of the South Korean aging population and low fertility.
References
Lee, Sam-Sik. “Low fertility and policy responses in Korea.” The Japanese Journal of Population 7.1 (2009): 57-70.https://www.ipss.go.jp/webj-ad/WebJournal.files/Population/2009_4/Web%20Journal_03.pdf
Seung Hyun, Seo. “Low fertility trend in the Republic of Korea and the problems of its family and demographic policy implementation.” Population and Economics 3 (2019): 29.https://www.researchgate.net/publication/334267330_Low_fertility_trend_in_the_Republic_of_Korea_and_the_problems_of_its_family_and_demographic_policy_implementation