[ChamChamCham?] Will the Legalization of Same-Sex Marriage Lower the Birth Rate?

Legalization in Portugal in 2010 Actually Increased Birth Rate
Experts Say "No Correlation Between Same-Sex Marriage and Birth Rate"

On September 26 last year (local time), when Switzerland held a referendum on the same-sex marriage bill, known as the 'Marriage for All' law, various types of couples, including male couples, female couples, and male-female couples, gathered in the capital city of Bern to take a commemorative photo (from left). In the nationwide referendum held at the time, 64.1% voted in favor of the bill recognizing same-sex marriage. Switzerland became the 30th country in the world to legalize same-sex marriage. [Image source=Yonhap News]

Mr. A and Mr. B lived together from 2017 and held their wedding ceremony in 2019. They registered Mr. A as a dependent of Mr. B, who was a workplace health insurance subscriber, starting from February 2020. However, in October of the same year, the National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) converted Mr. A to a regional health insurance subscriber and imposed insurance premiums, stating that he did not meet the conditions for dependent recognition. This was because both Mr. A and Mr. B were men. They filed a lawsuit challenging the NHIS’s decision.

The first trial court did not accept their claims. The court stated, "Under the current legal system, it is difficult to recognize a same-sex couple relationship as a de facto marriage," and ruled, "The concept of ‘marriage,’ according to precedents from the Supreme Court and the Constitutional Court, as well as general societal perception, still fundamentally involves the union of a man and a woman." Ultimately, citing the absence of legislative and social consensus, the court did not recognize same-sex unions. The appeal trial is currently ongoing.

The ‘general societal perception’ cited by the court can be easily found. Recently, a representative of a Christian organization said in a media interview, "If same-sex marriage is legalized, families will be destroyed, and it will affect childbirth, leading to the nation’s downfall." They also said, "Children’s gender identity will be confused, and social chaos is inevitable."

Among OECD Countries, It Is True That Birth Rates Have Declined in Countries That Legalized Same-Sex Marriage... But Portugal Shows an Increasing Trend

So, does legalizing same-sex marriage lower birth rates? After examining birth rates in countries that have legalized same-sex marriage and those that have not, it was confirmed that such claims lack evidence. Currently, there are 38 member countries in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), of which 23 recognize same-sex marriage. It is true that the birth rates in these 23 countries show a downward trend. However, there are exceptions. In Portugal, which legalized same-sex marriage in 2010, the birth rate has actually been rising. The birth rate, which was 1.39 in 2010, hit a low of 1.21 in 2013 but then started to increase again, reaching 1.42 in 2019.

*23 countries: Netherlands, Belgium, Canada, Spain, Norway, Sweden, Iceland, Portugal, Denmark, France, New Zealand, Luxembourg, Ireland, United States, Colombia, Finland, Germany, Australia, Austria, United Kingdom, Costa Rica, Switzerland, Chile

Countries that do not recognize same-sex marriage also showed a declining trend in birth rates. Among the 15 countries that have not legalized same-sex marriage, the birth rates in seven countries as of 2019 were lower than in 2008, when the OECD average birth rate peaked (South Korea, Czech Republic, Estonia, Greece, Italy, Mexico, Turkey). Notably, South Korea, where even the courts do not recognize same-sex marriage, has a birth rate below one. Conversely, Japan, which ruled last year that banning same-sex marriage is unconstitutional, has seen its birth rate rise since 2005.

Experts also say there is no relationship between same-sex marriage and birth rates. Min-sook Heo, a legislative researcher at the National Assembly, explained, "In the past agrarian society, having many children was aimed at producing labor, but now raising children requires a lot of money," adding, "Rather, birth rates are influenced by women’s entry into the labor market and social inclusiveness."

There are also calls for a society that embraces same-sex married couples. Min-ah Lee, a sociology professor at Chung-Ang University, said, “If society is tolerant of sexual minorities, their children are not negatively affected,” and added, “It is because society excludes and stigmatizes them that children of same-sex couples experience anxiety.”

Researcher Heo also said, "Children raised by heterosexual parents who do not get along also experience anxiety," adding, "Children can grow up healthily in families where members love and trust each other deeply. Even if a couple is heterosexual, if there is constant verbal abuse and violence, children cannot be happy."