Nobel Laureate in Economics Points to "Hanguk" Saying, "If Husbands Do Less Housework, Birth Rate Drops"

Claudia Goldin, a professor of economics at Harvard University and the 2023 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences laureate, identified the gender imbalance in household labor sharing as a major cause of the global low birthrate phenomenon. She drew particular attention by introducing South Korea, which records the world's lowest birthrate, as a representative case. On the 18th (local time), the Washington Post (WP) in the United States featured a column introducing Goldin's research titled "Babies and the Macroeconomy," published last year. The core argument of the study is that birthrates are higher in places where men do more housework and lower where they do not.

Professor Claudia Goldin of Harvard University's Department of Economics, the 2023 Nobel Prize in Economics laureate, identified the gender imbalance in household labor division as a major cause of the global low birthrate phenomenon. She drew particular attention by citing South Korea, which has the world's lowest birthrate, as a representative example. Asia Economy

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Professor Goldin pointed out, "Among countries that achieved high growth after World War II and where women's participation in the labor market became active, birthrates are lower in countries where women spend more time on housework than men." She explained that this is where the difference arises between 'lowest birthrate countries' such as South Korea, Greece, Italy, Japan, Portugal, and Spain, where birthrates have fallen to around 1.3%, and 'low birthrate countries' such as the United States, Denmark, France, Germany, Sweden, and the United Kingdom, where birthrates are around 1.6%. She cited South Korea, which recorded the world's lowest birthrate as of 2023, as a representative example.

In South Korea, the total fertility rate in 2023 was 0.72, the lowest in the world. As Professor Goldin pointed out, Korean women spend on average three hours more per day on housework than men. In 1960, 72% of South Korea's population lived in rural areas, but this decreased to 43% by 1980. In the early 2000s, when those born in 1980 reached marriageable age, income had increased 4.5 times. However, perceptions of traditional gender roles did not change significantly, which Goldin analyzed as leading to a sharp decline in birthrates. She evaluated South Korea as "being stuck in the past in terms of spousal equity."

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Professor Goldin stated that Korean women want to build careers in society, but men still hold traditional views that wives should stay at home. This clash of perceptions has led to a sharp decline in birthrates. She explained, "There are countries that achieved high growth after World War II and where women's participation in the labor market became active. Even in these countries, birthrates are lower where women spend more time on housework than men."

Countries showing similar patterns to South Korea include Japan and Italy. In these countries, women also spent on average three hours more per day on housework and caregiving than men. In contrast, Sweden has a gender gap in housework time of less than one hour and maintains a relatively high birthrate. The United States, Denmark, France, Germany, Sweden, and the United Kingdom maintain a fertility rate of about 1.6 children per woman. Professor Goldin explained that these countries had the temporal leeway for social norms to change as they experienced gradual economic growth after the war.

As a way for couples to equally share childcare and housework, Professor Goldin suggested, "Men need to believe that other dads are also doing more housework." Regarding the low birthrate, she said, "People are too anxious," but proposed that the U.S. Congress, which hopes to solve this issue, should provide government-subsidized childcare services like those in Sweden, France, the United Kingdom, and Canada as a solution.

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