More than half of S. Koreans say living together before marriage is okay
- 5 years ago
국민 10명 중 5명은 "혼인 대신 동거 가능"
There was a time when Koreans strictly believed a couple must tie the knot to live together.
These days however, more and more people believe co-habitation before marriage is perfectly fine.
KIM Da-mi takes a closer look into this trend.
The data have shown for some time that fewer South Koreans are getting married to their life partners, but now it appears more than half of South Koreans think it's okay to live together before tying the knot.
A survey by Statistics Korea found that around 48 percent of people felt that way in 2016... but the survey conducted again last year found that number had risen to 56 percent, the first time it's been a majority.
That number was especially high among the younger generation... and highest among those in their 20s.
"Younger people nowadays don't want to belong to that patriarchy, which many older people believe in, especially when it comes to marriage. This shows that Korean society's perceptions of marriage and family are changing."
So marriage is apparently no longer a must for many Koreans. In 2018, less than half of Koreans said getting married is something people have to do,... a figure that's gradually declined since 2010.
The data also analyzed life expectancy for 52 million South Koreans. Average life expectancy in 2017 was 82 years, up 0.3 years from a decade earlier.
Especially notable was a shrinking gap in between the sexes.
For men it was around 80 years,... while for women it was around 86 years.
The gap has continued to narrow since 1980... thanks to medical technology.
The shrinking gap in life expectancies between the genders is a phenomenon that's been observed in other developed countries as well.
KIM Da-mi, Arirang News.
There was a time when Koreans strictly believed a couple must tie the knot to live together.
These days however, more and more people believe co-habitation before marriage is perfectly fine.
KIM Da-mi takes a closer look into this trend.
The data have shown for some time that fewer South Koreans are getting married to their life partners, but now it appears more than half of South Koreans think it's okay to live together before tying the knot.
A survey by Statistics Korea found that around 48 percent of people felt that way in 2016... but the survey conducted again last year found that number had risen to 56 percent, the first time it's been a majority.
That number was especially high among the younger generation... and highest among those in their 20s.
"Younger people nowadays don't want to belong to that patriarchy, which many older people believe in, especially when it comes to marriage. This shows that Korean society's perceptions of marriage and family are changing."
So marriage is apparently no longer a must for many Koreans. In 2018, less than half of Koreans said getting married is something people have to do,... a figure that's gradually declined since 2010.
The data also analyzed life expectancy for 52 million South Koreans. Average life expectancy in 2017 was 82 years, up 0.3 years from a decade earlier.
Especially notable was a shrinking gap in between the sexes.
For men it was around 80 years,... while for women it was around 86 years.
The gap has continued to narrow since 1980... thanks to medical technology.
The shrinking gap in life expectancies between the genders is a phenomenon that's been observed in other developed countries as well.
KIM Da-mi, Arirang News.