Married individuals were found to be anxious about hearing phrases like "Stay over" or "Have one more meal" when visiting their in-laws during the Lunar New Year holiday, worrying about being asked to stay longer.
On the 28th, Only-U, a remarriage-specialized matchmaking company, announced the results of a survey conducted jointly with matchmaking company Bienarae from the 20th to the 26th. The survey targeted 556 divorced men and women (278 men and 278 women) nationwide who hope to remarry (twilight remarriage) and was conducted via email and phone. The question asked was, "Did you worry about what your in-laws might say when you visited them during the Lunar New Year holiday while still married to your ex-spouse?" The results showed the following.
In response to this question, 32.4% of men answered "Stay over," while 31.3% of women answered "Have one more meal." Following that, men responded with "See the siblings' family (brother-in-law or sister-in-law and their family) if they come" (27.7%), "Have one more meal" (24.1%), and "Take some food home" (15.8%). Women answered in the order of "Take some food home" (28.4%), "See the siblings' family (brother-in-law, younger brother-in-law, or sister-in-law and their family) if they come" (23.0%), and "Stay over" (17.3%).
Son Dong-gyu, CEO of Only-U, explained, "Nowadays, the in-laws tend not to ask daughters-in-law to stay over, as they are more cautious of their feelings. However, at the wife's family home, it is not uncommon for parents to ask their daughter to stay longer to spend more time with her. Women who feel uncomfortable staying at their in-laws often want to leave as soon as possible, so they tend to be anxious about whether they will be asked to have lunch (or dinner) before leaving."
Next, when asked, "What was the main cause of your headache-inducing anxiety at the thought of visiting your in-laws during the Lunar New Year holiday before your divorce?" both men and women ranked "Uncomfortable living environment (washing, using the restroom, sleeping, etc.)" (men 37.1%, women 29.1%) and "Unfriendly atmosphere" (men 33.1%, women 34.2%) as the top two reasons.
Men also cited "Noisy and bustling environment" (21.2%) and "Unfamiliar household items" (8.6%), while women answered "Unfamiliar household items" (22.3%) and "Noisy and bustling environment" (14.4%) in that order.
Lee Kyung, General Manager of Bienarae, analyzed, "Men, who generally have lower adaptability to unfamiliar environments, find the living conditions related to washing, using the restroom, and sleeping uncomfortable when visiting the bustling wife's family during Lunar New Year. Women, who have to take charge of preparing ancestral rites at their in-laws, strongly feel as if they are being compared and judged."
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