I’ve read some explanations for their falling birth rate. What I don’t understand is, other developed countries also have those problems, their birth rates are low as well, but why are they not as low as SK’s?
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I used to live there. Having kids in Korea is very expensive. It’s a hyper competitive society, families put huge emphasis on education and will spend large sums to get their kids in the best schools. Add on to that that Korea is already an expensive, stressful place to live. It is normal there for people to work 10-12 hour days, then go out drinking with their coworkers afterwards until late into the night. If your boss invites you all out, which is common, it’s not always easy to say no. Hard to raise a family with that lifestyle. Now add in to that that Korea is a very conservative country. Single mothers there are heavily stigmatized, they could be fired from their jobs and ostracized from their families. I had a white coworker who got pregnant and she lied to her boss that she was getting married so she wouldn’t lose her job. Most women who get pregnant out of wedlock will get an abortion. If they have a baby it will very often be sent to an orphanage, however Koreans have no culture of adoption, they place a great deal of importance on bloodline, blood relatives. An adopted child wouldn’t really be considered “family”, as such many of them end up sent overseas to places like america. While Korea is a wealthy, developed country, it is also very unequal. It is hard for average Koreans to get a good job, even with a college degree. There are other reasons but those are some of the big ones.
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