Employment Rate of Women in Their 30s No Longer at Its Lowest Point
Agreement on Men's Household Labor Expands
Both Men and Women Show Increased Orientation Toward Family Formation
"Support Needed to Enable Pursuit of Both Career and Family"
More than half of South Korea's young and middle-aged men and women believe that women should also work to support their families. The level of agreement with women's participation in the labor market has increased by nearly 10 percentage points compared to six years ago.
At the 42nd anniversary seminar of the Korean Women's Development Institute held on the 17th, Senior Researcher Kim Eun-ji presented these survey results. The research team compared this year's survey of 2,690 men and women aged 25 to 44 with the 2019 survey of 6,350 men and women aged 20 to 39.
The survey results showed a higher positive response from both men and women regarding women's participation in the labor market. The percentage of respondents who answered that "working is the best way for women to live an independent life" increased significantly from 44.2% of men in 2019 to 63.5% this year. Among women, the agreement rate also rose from 69.3% to 80.7%. The proportion agreeing with the statement "Now women also need to work to support their families" increased by about 8 to 10 percentage points, from 57.2% to 67.9% among men and from 65.4% to 73.3% among women.
In fact, the employment rate of women in their 30s in Korea is on the rise. Previously, the employment rate of women by age showed a so-called "M-shaped curve," with a decline in their 30s due to marriage and family formation, but this pattern has disappeared since last year. In 2000, the employment rate of women in their early 30s was at its lowest point of 47.3%, but it increased by 0.6% annually until 2010, by 1.3% annually from 2011 to 2019, and by 2.4% annually since 2020. As a result, last year the lowest employment rate shifted to women in their early 40s (65.2%).
As awareness encouraging women's economic participation spreads, the proportion of men agreeing to take on household and caregiving duties has also increased. In 2019, 45.9% of men and 76.7% of women responded that "men should do more housework than now." In 2025, the percentage agreeing with the statement "Now men also need to make time to care for their families" rose to 68.8% among men and 83.9% among women. Researcher Kim said, "Especially in this year's study, more than 50% of both men and women responded that 'it is good for children if fathers spend time with them even if income decreases,'" adding, "Since this response assumes a decrease in income, it is expected to encourage active use of systems such as parental leave."
The orientation toward family formation increased among both men and women. The percentage of men agreeing with the statement "Women need to have children to live a happy and fulfilling life" rose from 17.3% in 2019 to 34.7% this year, and among women, it increased from 10.0% to 19.6%. Regarding the question "Men need to have children to live a happy and fulfilling life," the percentage of men agreeing rose significantly from 19.0% to 39.2%, and women from 12.6% to 30.0%.
Regarding the survey results, Researcher Kim suggested, "At a time when women want careers and also have family aspirations, institutional support is needed to enable a generational shift from 'career then family' to 'career and family'." She added, "It is an era that requires the completion of change through strengthening men's family roles," and emphasized, "A shift from the traditional family balance point to a new family balance point is necessary."
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