40% of People in Their 20s Respond 'Possible to Have Children Without Marriage'... Dramatically Changed Views on Childbirth

Yonhap News

Positive perceptions of childbirth outside of marriage are spreading, especially among young people. It was found that 2 out of 5 people in their 20s believe that "children can be born without getting married."

According to the Statistics Korea's "2024 Social Survey" and the National Statistical Portal (KOSIS) on the 17th, 42.8% of those aged 20 to 29 responded this year that "children can be born without getting married."

Until 2014, only 30.3% gave a positive response, but this increased by 12.5 percentage points over 10 years.

During this period, those who somewhat agreed increased slightly from 24.6% to 28.6% this year. Those who completely agreed rose sharply from 5.7% to 14.2%. On the other hand, those who completely disagreed decreased from 34.9% in 2014 to 22.2% this year.

By gender, 43.1% of men in their 20s and 42.4% of women in their 20s answered that children can be born without marriage. The percentage of those who completely agreed was higher among women (15.9%) than men (12.6%).

The proportion of people in their 20s who answered that marriage is "absolutely necessary" or "preferable" decreased from 51.2% in 2014 to 39.7% in 2024.

The change in young people's perceptions of childbirth outside of marriage is also reflected in actual birth rate statistics. According to last year's birth statistics, the number of births outside of marriage was 10,900, an increase of 1,100 from the previous year. This accounts for 4.7% of all births. The number of births outside of marriage has been increasing annually: 6,900 in 2020, 7,700 in 2021, and 9,800 in 2022.

However, although the proportion and perception of childbirth outside of marriage are changing, policy movements remain slow.

This is because most childbirth and childcare support policies are designed around "married couples." As a result, there is a high possibility that those outside this framework fall into a "policy blind spot." The government's Low Fertility and Aging Committee announced support measures covering work-family balance, childcare, and housing through the "Measures to Reverse the Low Birthrate Trend" in June and July, but institutionalization and support for childbirth outside of marriage were omitted.