Dual-Income Newlyweds Differ by Child Status... Homeownership Also Linked to Higher Birth Rates

Statistics Korea 'Analysis of Changes Over 5 Years After Marriage Based on Newlywed Couple Statistics'

[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Son Seon-hee] It has been revealed that the economic activity of married women varies significantly depending on childcare.

According to the "Analysis of Changes Over 5 Years After Marriage Based on Newlywed Couple Statistics" released by Statistics Korea on the 25th, the proportion of wives engaged in economic activities among childless couples was 60.1% in the first year of marriage and 59.1% in the fifth year of marriage. There was little change in the rate over the five years after marriage.

On the other hand, the proportion of wives engaged in economic activities among couples with children was 57% in the first year of marriage, but dropped to 47.9% in the third year, then slightly rose to 50.9% in the fifth year. Compared to childless couples, the economic activity rate of wives was more than 10 percentage points lower (based on the third year of marriage).

The proportion of wives engaged in economic activities also differed depending on the number of children. For wives with one child, more than one in two were economically active from the first to the fifth year of marriage. However, for those with two or more children, except for the first year of marriage (52.5%), the economic activity rate fell below half in all other years.

Birth rates also differed depending on home ownership. Among couples who owned a home during the five years after marriage, 82.9% had children, which was higher than the birth rate of 80.7% among couples without a home during the same period.

This survey analyzed changes among 212,000 first-marriage couples who registered their marriage between November 2014 and October 2015, lived in Korea for five years while maintaining their marriage (as of 2019). The proportion of dual-income couples, which was 51.6% in the first year of marriage, dropped to 46.1% in the second year and 43.9% in the third year. It then rose again to 45.4% and 46.6% in the fourth and fifth years, respectively. Couples who maintained dual incomes for five years accounted for 25.6%, while those who maintained a single income for five years accounted for 18.5%.

Among newlywed couples in their fifth year, the proportion owning a home was over half at 52.2%, with the highest percentage (28.7%) acquiring a home in the first year of marriage. This indicates cases where couples secured a newlywed home immediately after marriage. Subsequently, 5.9% acquired homes in the second year, 6.5% in the third year, 5.7% in the fourth year, and 5.2% in the fifth year.

On the other hand, 40.7% of newlywed couples did not own a home during the five years after marriage.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.