Claims to Avoid Childbirth to Prevent the 'Inheritance of Poverty' Spread
Negative Neologisms About Childbirth Like 'Born Against Will' Also Emerge
Among the MZ generation (born between 1980 and 2010), the perception that "if you are poor, you should not have children" is rapidly spreading through social networking services (SNS), sparking heated debates. Additionally, new negative neologisms related to childbirth, such as "born against one's will," are emerging, reflecting a social atmosphere linking poverty and childbirth. With predictions that the total fertility rate in 2023 will hit an all-time low, there are calls to improve the MZ generation's negative perceptions of childbirth.
On the 5th, posts stating "if you are poor, you should not have children" have been spreading on SNS and online communities. Author A said, "Economic power is the most important factor even when raising dogs or cats. It is unacceptable to have a child who cannot be sent to even one desired academy, cannot be given a single toy they want, and who has to work part-time jobs while others travel abroad and have fun during college without any allowance." He added, "If you are going to make children live a life of giving up and enduring what they want, you should not have had them in the first place. Having children while poor is a sin." This is a call to refrain from childbirth to prevent the inheritance of poverty.
He continued, "My biggest hope is that children born in the future will be born to prepared parents and grow up emotionally stable," and argued, "Domestic violence is not only about fighting and cursing. Poverty is also a form of domestic violence." This post received 848 recommendations, showing significant public sympathy.
As A’s post spread, opposing opinions also emerged. B, who wrote a post titled "I think saying 'if you are poor, you should not have children' is too rude," said, "Childbirth is a basic human instinct, and telling people to go against that instinct just because they are poor is very rude." He added, "I wouldn’t say such things directly to someone’s face, but posting a nuance of 'if you are poor, don’t have kids' on an open community can hurt people. Someone who saw such a post and wanted to start a family might be gaslighted and change their mind."
B further said, "Even children born into extremely poor households receiving basic livelihood benefits, life itself is a blessing and joy," and questioned, "Isn’t it wrong to fundamentally deprive such opportunities and not give chances?" This directly refutes the argument that only the wealthy should have children.
People who agree with the saying "If you are poor, don't have children." [Photo by X (formerly Twitter)]
Besides this post, many posts with the hashtag #born_against_one’s_will are gaining sympathy on X (formerly Twitter). This neologism expresses that one’s birth is a form of victimization, emphasizing that children are born between couples regardless of their happiness and feel deprived by society. Netizen C said, "Realistically, children should only be born when perfect caregivers and sufficiently comfortable environments are all in place," adding, "I never asked to be born like this, but that’s how parents are. When you work in society, you envy people born into affluent families. I will never have children."
2023 Total Fertility Rate 0.72... "Low Birthrate Will Worsen"
Meanwhile, Statistics Korea announced on the 14th of last month the "Future Population Projections: 2022?2072," predicting that this year’s total fertility rate will be 0.72, marking an all-time low. This means the total fertility rate, which has been hitting record lows every year, is expected to drop once again. The total fertility rate was 1.24 in 2015, then 1.17 in 2016, 1.05 in 2017, and fell below 1.0 starting in 2018. Last year, it recorded 0.78, making South Korea the country with the second-lowest birthrate in the world after Hong Kong.
Statistics Korea forecasts that low birthrates will become even more severe. The total fertility rate is expected to be 0.68 next year and 0.65 in 2025. Although it is projected to rebound to 0.82 in 2030, population decline is inevitable under this trend. The domestic population, which was about 51.84 million in 2022, is expected to decrease to approximately 50.06 million in 2040 and 36.22 million in 2072.
Statistics Korea also pointed out that the declining positive perception of marriage among people in their 20s and 30s with marriage plans is a major cause of the falling birthrate. According to the Social Survey by Statistics Korea, more than half of people in their 20s and 30s viewed marriage positively in 2008. However, by 2022, fewer than half of people in their 20s and 30s had a positive view of marriage. Specifically, about 70% of men and 50% of women in their 20s and 30s viewed marriage positively in 2008, but by 2022, only about 45% of men and 29% of women in that age group viewed marriage positively.
The decrease in income and increase in debt among people in their 20s is also likely to accelerate low birthrates. According to "Social Trends in Korea 2023" published by Statistics Korea, the household income of household heads aged 20 or younger decreased from 33.63 million KRW in 2018 to 31.14 million KRW in 2021. During the same period, household debt of household heads in their 20s increased from 25.91 million KRW to 50.14 million KRW. With lack of funds cited as the top reason for not marrying, this phenomenon could be a cause of accelerating low birthrates.
In response, experts are raising their voices to positively change the MZ generation’s perceptions related to childbirth rates. The Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s SGI (Sustainable Growth Initiative) stated, "Campaigns to induce positive perception changes about marriage and childbirth among the MZ generation, providing young people with affordable wedding venues in corporate meeting and training facilities, and establishing win-win daycare centers by large companies that can also be used by partner companies and local small and medium enterprises are necessary."
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