Young Generation: "Marriage and Childbirth Are 'Sadness and Fear'... Marriage First Brings Money to Mind"

The Key Keyword for Marriage Among Young People Is Money
'House' Ranks in Top 10 for Posts on Childcare and Parental Leave
"Urgent Need for Policies to Address Burdens Faced by the Young Generation"

A study has found that young people feel more negative emotions such as 'sadness,' 'fear,' and 'disgust' rather than 'happiness' regarding marriage and childbirth. The key keyword for the younger generation related to marriage was identified as 'money.'

The Korea Future Population Research Institute, a non-profit private research organization, analyzed about 50,000 posts related to marriage, childbirth, and childcare posted on the workplace community Blind as of November last year and announced these results on the 11th.

Analysis of the main emotions expressed in the posts showed that 32.3% of marriage-related posts were classified as 'sadness,' and 24.6% as 'fear.' In childbirth-related posts, emotions of 'disgust' (23.8%) and 'fear' (21.3%) were also high. Posts classified as expressing happiness accounted for 9.3% of marriage posts, 7.3% of childbirth posts, and 13.1% of childcare posts, hovering around 10%.

The total fertility rate slightly rebounded from 0.72 in 2023 to 0.74 last year. The institute explained, "Separately from this, it shows that negative perceptions of marriage and childbirth remain deeply rooted among the younger generation."

In this big data analysis, the most frequently appearing keyword in marriage-related posts was 'money' (28.9%). Money was also among the top five keywords (13.2%) in childbirth-related posts.

Data Analyzing Topics Related to Marriage, Childbirth, and Childcare. Hanbando Future Population Research Institute

The keyword 'house' also appeared frequently within the top 10 in posts related to childcare and parental leave. Topic-centered analysis showed that for marriage posts, 'marriage preparation and conditions' (57.9%) was the main topic; for childbirth posts, 'childbirth and economic support' (19.9%) and 'declining birthrate and socioeconomic changes' (36.8%) were major topics.

Regarding childcare, the main topics were 'childcare within the family and parental roles' (69.6%), 'workplace childcare support systems and career management' (30.4%), and for parental leave, 'childcare and division of roles within the family' (37.8%) and 'balancing work and childcare' (24.4%).

The institute analyzed, "Although the rebound in the total fertility rate last year is certainly a positive sign, it is still too early to see it as the start of a trend reversal. It is highly likely a temporary recovery of delayed marriage and childbirth due to the past pandemic."

Yoo Hye-jung, head of the Population Research Center at the Korea Future Population Research Institute, pointed out that strong policy measures are needed to overcome the population crisis by addressing the economic burdens and difficulties in balancing work and family faced by young people. She emphasized, "Companies should focus on creating family-friendly work environments and activating parental leave, while the government must concentrate all resources on housing stability and expanding practical childcare support measures."