In the rainy outskirts of Seoul, Yejin, a 30-year-old television producer, is enjoying lunch with her friends in her apartment, where she lives happily single. As they share a meal, a well-worn meme of a cartoon dinosaur appears on one of their phones, delivering a dark but humorous message about the looming threat of extinction.
This light-hearted moment reflects a deeper trend among Yejin and her peers, as they are part of a growing community of women in South Korea choosing a child-free lifestyle. With the country’s birth rate hitting record lows year after year, Yejin and others like her are contributing to a demographic shift that could have major implications for the nation’s future.
Despite government efforts to incentivize childbearing, including financial assistance and support for families, these measures have not been successful in reversing the declining birth rate. As a result, policymakers are now exploring more unconventional solutions, such as hiring nannies from South East Asia and exempting men from military service if they have three children before the age of 30.
However, for many women like Yejin, the decision not to have children is not just about financial considerations. Long working hours, a culture of self-improvement, and societal expectations around gender roles all play a role in shaping their choices. Yejin, for example, cites the lack of dateable men who are willing to share household and childcare responsibilities as a significant factor in her decision.
Other women, such as Stella, a 39-year-old English teacher, find themselves unable to balance the demands of career and family within the constraints of Korean society. High housing costs, the pressure of private education, and the expectation that mothers should take time off work to care for their children all contribute to a sense of impossibility for many women.
As South Korea grapples with the consequences of its declining birth rate, it is clear that the reasons behind this trend are complex and multifaceted. From societal expectations to economic pressures, women like Yejin and Stella are navigating a landscape that presents significant challenges to the idea of starting a family. Whether policymakers can find solutions that address these underlying issues remains to be seen.