Steady Decline in Marriage Numbers... 15,670 Marriages in April
Increase in Young Adults Giving Up Marriage Due to Debt and Housing Prices
Experts Say "Negative Perception of Marriage Rising... Strong Belief It's an Economic Burden"
[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Ga-yeon] "I don't even have money to live alone, so what marriage are you talking about?"
A(29), a fifth-year office worker, said, "The more I work and think realistically, the more I feel that I shouldn't get married."
A said, "Even if I don't take a break from work, there are many expenses here and there. This is the situation even living alone now, so how can I afford a newlywed house or wedding preparation costs?" He lamented, "Since I can't save money, I don't even think about getting married. You can't dig the ground to get married, can you?"
Recently, the number of people in their 20s and 30s who avoid marriage and choose to remain single has been increasing. They cite economic reasons such as employment difficulties, youth debt, and rising housing prices. The psychological contraction caused by the COVID-19 pandemic is only a temporary recent cause, and fundamentally social and economic factors are at work.
Results from a survey on 'Single-Person Household Status' conducted by the employment portal JobKorea on 4,674 adults and marriage statistics well illustrate this trend. In the JobKorea survey, 40.6% of respondents answered that they live alone. That means 4 out of 10 people are 'single-person households.' The proportion of single-person households by age was identified as 37.0% in their 20s, 48.1% in their 30s, and 39.0% in their 40s and above. The so-called 'marriageable age' group in their 30s showed the highest rate of single-person households.
The number of marriages has steadily declined. According to the Statistics Korea's 'April Population Trends' released on the 24th of last month, the number of marriages in April was 15,670, down 4,356 (21.8%) from the same period last year. This marks the largest decline since statistics began to be compiled in April 1981, drawing attention.
B(33), an office worker who identifies as a non-marriage advocate, said, "Although not many, I still hear marriage news steadily around me," adding, "Naturally, it seems that only those with a certain level of economic conditions get married."
He continued, "The unresolved housing issue seems to have a big impact on deciding not to get married. Although I am currently living somewhat stably alone, I think that if I get married, I will naturally lose economic leeway. I never really thought that 'marriage is a must,' but for these reasons, I have completely stopped thinking about it."
Newlywed couples who married within the last two years were found to have spent an average of about 150 million won.
According to the '2020 Wedding Cost Status Report' by wedding consulting company DuoWed on April 23, the amount spent by a newlywed couple on wedding funds was found to be 153.32 million won. The average amounts by category were ▲housing 108 million won ▲wedding hall 10.11 million won ▲furnishings 12.03 million won ▲honeymoon 4.31 million won.
A DuoWed official pointed out in the report, "Housing costs had been increasing as a proportion of wedding expenses for some time, but this year's statistics showed a pause. While the decrease in housing funds can be interpreted positively, it is necessary to examine whether the housing environment for newlyweds has worsened due to the reality that they cannot even dream of owning a home."
Experts analyzed that economic burdens can lead individuals to perceive marriage negatively.
Choi Jae-won, director at Daumsoft, said on CBS Radio's 'Sisa Jaki Jung Kwan-yong imnida' in April last year, "According to the analysis of the keyword 'marriage,' in 2013, positive views were 63%, and negative views were 36%. However, this year (2019), positive views were 45.7%, and negative views were 54.3%, with negative views leading."
He explained, "Regarding married life, keywords like 'proposal' have almost dropped in ranking, while negative keywords have risen. The high ranking of keywords related to money strongly indicates the perception that 'marriage is an economic burden.'"
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