Statistics Korea Announces Employment Status of Married Women in the First Half of the Year
Number of Married Women Decreased but Employment Rate Rising
"Employment Rate Lower with More and Younger Children"
Proportion of Career-Interrupted Women with Children at 22.7%
Economic activity participation among married women increased in the first half of the year. The employment rate of married women with children under 18 reached 62.4%, marking the highest level since related statistics began in 2016. The rate of career interruption among married women was 15.9%, the lowest ever recorded.
According to the '2024 First Half Regional Employment Survey on the Employment Status of Married Women' released by Statistics Korea on the 19th, the number of married women aged 15 to 54 was 7.654 million in the first half, a decrease of 290,000 compared to the same period last year. The proportion of married women among women aged 15 to 54 was 57.2%, down by 1.2 percentage points. The number of married women living with children under 18 was 4.276 million, a decrease of 71,000 from the previous year.
The number of employed married women aged 15 to 54 was 5.053 million, down by 54,000 from the same period last year. However, the employment rate among all married women rose by 1.7 percentage points to 66.0%. The employment rate of married women living with children under 18 also increased by 2.4 percentage points to 62.4%, the highest since statistics began in 2016. The employment rate of women with children under 18 has been on the rise since 2020 (55.5%).
The number of married women aged 15 to 54 experiencing career interruption was 1.215 million, a decrease of 133,000 compared to the previous year. The proportion of career-interrupted women among married women aged 15 to 54 also fell by 1.1 percentage points to 15.9%, the lowest since related statistics began in 2014. Among married women living with children under 18, the number of career-interrupted women was 971,000, down by 110,000, and the proportion dropped by 2.2 percentage points to 22.7%.
The age groups with the highest rates of career interruption among married women were 35?39 years (24.7%), 30?34 years (22.8%), and 40?44 years (20.4%), in that order. The main reasons for career interruption were childcare (41.1%), marriage (24.9%), and pregnancy/childbirth (24.4%). The most common duration of career interruption was over 10 years (41.2%).
A Statistics Korea official explained, "This year, the employment rate of married women increased and the proportion of career-interrupted women decreased," adding, "Overall, women's participation in economic activities is rising." However, they noted, "There are variations depending on the number and age of children," and further explained, "the pattern continues where the employment rate is lower when the number of children is higher and when the children are younger."
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