"We Are on a Birth Strike"...Foreign Media Focus on the Low Birth Rate in Korea

BBC Warns of Population Decline Risk... "Increased National Financial Burden and Reduced Workforce"
"Korean Women Have High Education Levels but Large Wage Gap"

Not only did South Korea record the world's lowest birth rate, but it also broke its own record for the lowest rate again.

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunju Park] "We are on a birth strike."

A Korean woman said this to the British BBC on the 25th (local time). The media focused on Korea's low birth rate and pointed to discrimination in 'opportunities' as the fundamental reason. Korean women are still forced to choose between career and family.

BBC reported, "Korean women have a high level of education but are not equal in the workplace, and Korea has the highest gender wage gap among wealthy countries," adding, "Most household chores and childcare in Korea are still the responsibility of women, and many women quit their jobs or experience career interruptions after childbirth." Ultimately, women who face the situation of having to choose between career and family decide that they do not want to sacrifice their careers.

Another cause of the low birth rate cited was 'money.' The media pointed out, "Childcare in Korea is expensive. Also, many young people suffer from astronomical housing costs." The Korean political sphere has invested billions of dollars to increase the birth rate, but the effect remains minimal, and the reasons for this are still unknown.

BBC, citing data from the Korean Statistical Office the day before, reported, "Korea recorded the world's lowest birth rate again following 2018," and "The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) stated that the birth rate worldwide has significantly declined over the past 60 years, and this trend is especially pronounced in Korea."

It also warned about the risks of population decline. As the population decreases, the demand for healthcare systems and pensions increases, putting pressure on public spending. It added that a decrease in the youth population leads to a shortage of labor, which affects the economy.

Meanwhile, according to the '2021 Birth Statistics' announced by the Korean Statistical Office the day before, Korea's total fertility rate (the average number of children a woman is expected to have in her lifetime) was 0.81, down 0.03 from the previous year. The number of births last year was 260,600, a decrease of 11,800 from the previous year.

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