"Is Marriage the Only Way to Be a Family?"... High Satisfaction with Cohabitation Without Marriage, but Limitations in Using the System

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"Many New Relationship Types Not Included in Traditional Families"

File photo. The number of 'unmarried cohabitation' families living together without registering their marriage is increasing, but policy support for them remains insufficient, highlighting the need for improvement. / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Juhee] # Kim, a late 20s office worker living with a cohabitant in Seoul, is hesitant about marriage due to economic reasons and others. It is not only because of the lack of funds to purchase a home but also because he feels burdened by the roles within a family and child plans that follow marriage. Kim also lamented that policy support in areas such as housing and healthcare, which are implemented in society, is still insufficient for unmarried cohabiting families. He said, "It is unsettling that I, as the closest person to my cohabitant in an emergency, cannot become their legal representative," adding, "Many people pursue unmarried life for personal reasons, but many systems are still designed around married couples and families consisting of parents and children."

Recently, the number of unmarried cohabiting families living together without marriage registration has increased, but policy support for them remains insufficient, leading to growing demands for improvement. Unmarried cohabitants reported high satisfaction with their lives but experienced many inconveniences in using social systems.

On the 15th, the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family and the Korean Women's Development Institute announced the results of the "Unmarried Cohabitation Status Survey" containing these findings. The survey was conducted from October 12 to November 6 last year, targeting 3,007 men and women aged 19 to 69 who are currently cohabiting or have past cohabitation experience.

According to the survey, unmarried cohabiting families showed high satisfaction with their partners. The percentage of respondents who answered "satisfied" with their relationship with their cohabitant was 63%. This was 6 percentage points higher than the spouse relationship satisfaction rate (57.0%) in the family status survey conducted the same year.

Respondents cited "emotional bonding and stability" as the positive aspect of cohabitation at 88.4%. This was followed by "help in deciding whether to marry by understanding the partner's habits and lifestyle" (84.9%), "less economic burden due to shared housing costs" (82.8%), and "respect for each other's independent living" (65.0%).

Regarding reasons for cohabitation, all age groups most frequently chose "naturally without any particular reason" (38.6%). Men cited "because they have not prepared a home" (26.9%) as the reason for cohabitation, while women responded "because they think it is still too early to marry" (28.1%).

According to the "Survey on the Status of Unmarried Cohabitation" conducted by the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family and the Korean Women's Development Institute, 63% of unmarried cohabiting families reported being "satisfied" with their relationship with their cohabitant. This was 6 percentage points higher than the spouse relationship satisfaction rate (57.0%) found in the family status survey conducted in the same year. Photo by Yonhap News [Image source=Yonhap News]

However, they experienced many inconveniences in using social systems. Half of the respondents cited "difficulty in using housing support systems such as housing subscription and housing loans" (50.5%) as the inconvenience caused by cohabitation. Other reasons included "negative views toward cohabiting families" (50.5%) and "not being recognized as legal protectors" (49.2%).

Lee (35), an office worker who has been living with his cohabitant for three years, said, "If you are not a married couple, you cannot use various support systems provided by housing-related institutions, or the chances of receiving support are lower compared to legally married couples," adding, "Since all systems prioritize couples with children, I feel disadvantaged."

Respondents most frequently identified the need for policies that "recognize cohabitants as legal spouses in medical decisions such as surgery consent forms" (65.4%). This was followed by "recognition of parental status for children born in cohabiting relationships" (61.6%), "equal recognition when receiving public family welfare services" (51.9%), and "equal recognition as legal spouses in cases of death and funerals" (50.2%).

There have been ongoing demands to legally recognize unmarried cohabiting families, and related legal discussions have taken place in the National Assembly. In 2014, then lawmaker Jin Sunmi of the New Politics Alliance for Democracy proposed the "Act on Cohabiting Partners," which legally recognizes life partners not formed by marriage or blood relations. However, due to opposition from some quarters, it did not proceed to bill submission.

Recently, related discussions have resumed, including a forum held in the National Assembly to promote the Cohabiting Partners Act. On the 12th of last month, Representative Yong Hyein of the Basic Income Party hosted a forum titled "Beyond Family and Marriage" to promote the enactment of the Cohabiting Partners Act.

At the forum, Representative Yong said, "Many new types of relationships that the traditional family does not encompass have emerged. It is no longer justifiable to set the standard as the traditional family and exclude other relationships from institutional benefits. Current welfare systems set life courses through youth loans, newlywed loans, and child allowances, but the state should not favor a specific life model," emphasizing the necessity of the Cohabiting Partners Act.

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