South Korea – A cautionary tale for the rest of humanity
2 days ago
- #Demographics
- #Gender Inequality
- #Population Decline
- South Korea has the lowest fertility rate in the world, with projections showing a population decline of over two-thirds in the next 100 years.
- Key factors contributing to low fertility include severe career-motherhood conflicts, intensive parenting culture, declining marriage rates, and gender polarization.
- South Korean women face significant career penalties after childbirth, with 62% quitting jobs around the birth of their first child and earnings falling by 66% by the time the child is ten.
- Parenting in South Korea is highly resource-intensive, with the average cost of raising a child to 18 being $275,000, and 80% of children attending expensive private cram schools (hagwons).
- Marriage rates have plummeted, with only 43% of women aged 15–49 married, and childbirth outside marriage is rare (3%), exacerbating the fertility crisis.
- South Korea’s fertility crisis is worsened by the legacy of aggressive antinatalist government policies from the 1960s–1990s, which successfully reduced fertility but left long-term demographic scars.
- Recent pro-natalist policies, such as cash bonuses and monthly subsidies, have had modest success but are insufficient to counteract decades of decline.
- Global examples (e.g., France, South Tyrol) show that well-funded, family-friendly policies can boost fertility, but South Korea’s challenges are uniquely severe.
- The demographic collapse threatens South Korea’s economy, military, and cultural vitality, with implications for global innovation and cultural exports.
- South Korea serves as a warning for other developed nations facing similar demographic trends, highlighting the need for proactive, generous family policies.