"Marriage, Why Not?" Men's Economic Burden, Women's Desire for a Good Spouse Still Prevails

- "Men (47.1%) Feel Greater Economic Burden Than Women (21.6%)"
- 6 out of 10 Unmarried Men and Women Say "They Would Marry If Problems Are Resolved"

[Source: Gayun Marriage Information Co., Ltd.]

Last year, the number of marriages recorded the lowest ever. Citing the decrease in the marriageable population and the impact of COVID-19 as reasons, what are the most common "reasons for not marrying" and "moments when people want to get married" chosen by unmarried men and women?

Marriage information company Gayoun conducted a survey from May 10 to May 23 under the theme "Why don't you get married?" to understand the thoughts of 284 unmarried men and women (136 men, 148 women).

First, the most common reasons for "not getting married" were "not meeting a good spouse (36.3%)" and "economic burden (33.8%)." Following these were "marriage does not seem happy (16.9%)" and "single life is comfortable (13%)."

In particular, among the responses, the proportion of those who chose "economic burden" was 47.1% for men and 21.6% for women, indicating that men still feel a greater burden regarding marriage costs. On the other hand, the proportion who chose "not meeting a good spouse" was 27.9% for men and 43.9% for women, suggesting that women place more importance on the criteria for choosing a spouse.

What if these issues were resolved? The majority answered "would get married (60.6%)," followed by "not sure (22.9%)" and "would still not get married (16.5%)."

The "moment when people most want to get married" was ranked first as "when I need a reliable partner (34.2%)." This was followed by "when seeing a happy couple (26.4%)," "when it’s hard to part with a lover (21.1%)," "when a close friend gets married (13.7%)," and "when an ex-partner gets married (4.6%)."

Regarding the "most important condition for a marriage partner," the order was "personality (37.7%)," "values (29.6%)," "financial capability (21.8%)," and "appearance (10.9%)." This suggests that when considering marriage, internal factors such as personality and values are prioritized over external factors like appearance or financial status.

Gayoun couple manager Kim Eun-young said, "The survey results revealed a relatively clear difference in perception between men and women regarding reasons for not marrying," adding, "Six out of ten said they would consider marriage if these issues were resolved."

She also added, "Values and living environments related to marriage are changing, and the decline in marriage rates cannot be seen merely as a temporary phenomenon due to COVID-19. It is important for the government to address the issue from a long-term and comprehensive perspective and to increase benefits."