[Voices of the MZ Generation Column] Parenting in the Age of Low Birthrates... Choosing to Raise Children Nevertheless

Housing Instability and Young People Avoiding Childbirth
Reflecting on the Value of Life with Children

Recently, the KBS documentary "Beyond That Birth" addressed the serious low birthrate issue in South Korea. In particular, Part 1 impressively covered East Asian cases such as Taiwan and Singapore, while Part 2 richly explored overseas cases including Hungary and France. Personally, among these, the young couple from Taiwan featured in Part 1 left a strong impression on me.

They commuted about an hour to work and lived in a small studio-like space divided by a cloth curtain. Although they worked hard, they earned a monthly salary in the 1 million KRW range and believed that having stable housing under such conditions was nearly impossible. Over the past decade, housing prices in Taiwan have doubled, and along with South Korea, it records one of the world’s lowest total fertility rates.

Interestingly, nearly 80% of Taiwanese people own homes. Many even own two or three properties. However, according to Taiwanese real estate agents, young people just starting their careers cannot afford to buy homes. Since mostly middle-aged and older generations continue to invest in and purchase properties, housing prices keep rising. While real estate prices keep increasing, for young people, homeownership drifts endlessly further away, trapping them in an infinite kind of hell they cannot reach. Believing that housing stability is impossible, childbirth becomes a matter "beyond that"?infinitely distant.

In Taiwan’s case, the overlap with South Korea is inevitable because South Korea also became an ultra-low birthrate country with an even lower total fertility rate than Taiwan, coinciding with a housing price surge. Additionally, a childhood marked by brutal private education competition and the lack of time to care for oneself or children after work are phenomena that make our society the country where the fewest children are born in the world.

I myself cannot escape such circumstances, but recently I published a book titled "Nevertheless, Parenting." The world is full of talk about the impossibility of parenting, and various skeptical and cynical diagnoses, including this KBS documentary, have emerged. Nevertheless, despite all these difficulties, I felt the need to speak about the value of living a life with children.

Because no matter how hard life is, I believe we must not lose affirmation for the life we have chosen. Life with children is not easy, but it is valuable nonetheless. Here, I want to emphasize the word "nevertheless." We always live believing in "therefore." If we love someone, it is because they are worthy, have the right conditions, and the ability?"therefore" we love them. But the love I believe in has always been about loving "nevertheless."

By spending time on children that was originally supposed to be for myself, I have experienced that this time is for us and, furthermore, truly for myself. From the laughter of children running in parks, mudflats, and playgrounds, I understand that this happiness is exactly what I gain as much as I let go of myself. Instead of saving time for myself, I spend time on my child and receive even greater happiness along with their laughter. I believe that in this era and in such times, we must speak about this.

I want to support those who willingly choose to embrace children despite the many difficulties of our times. Furthermore, I hope we can rise from despair and build a society where we can all cross this world better. Nevertheless, I hope we do not lose faith in living and loving.

Jung Ji-woo, Lawyer & Cultural Critic