The fertility rate issue in South Korea has reached such alarming levels that even government officials are struggling to encourage people to have more children.
It wasn't until recently that I began to understand where the root of this problem lies.
South Korean women face extremely low social status, and their situation within both the family and society is truly sympathetic.
For many South Korean women, childbirth is almost an unbearable ordeal.
It is well-known that Korea’s fertility rate has been stagnant at low levels for years, causing the government considerable concern. Various measures have been taken to boost the fertility rate, from top leaders personally appealing to the public, to establishing specialized agencies with financial support to manage fertility issues, but the results have been minimal.
According to relevant data, last year, the number of newborns in South Korea was only 230,000, and the total population has already begun to decline, with prospects for the future looking even bleaker.
Some experts even predict that if this trend is not improved, South Korea may disappear in 200 years.
Although this prediction may not be entirely accurate, any country facing a sharp decline in newborns will inevitably encounter a series of severe problems.
A declining population means a reduced labor force, an aging population, and consequently, a host of social and economic issues.
So why are South Korean women reluctant to have children?
By chance, I saw a video on a short video platform that revealed the reasons behind the low fertility desire among South Korean women.
The video described the various difficulties faced by South Korean women in society and within their families, along with a maternity guide issued by the Korean Childbirth Information Center.
The content of this guide was simply shocking.
This guide detailed the responsibilities of women during pregnancy, requiring them to have all household chores in order before being admitted to the hospital, prepare about a week's worth of clean clothes for their family members, clean the house, and restock daily necessities to ensure that their family members would not be inconvenienced by missing items during their hospital stay.
From these regulations, it's not hard to see the extreme indifference of Korean society toward pregnant women.
Women during pregnancy should receive more care and attention, but these rules force them to continue shouldering heavy household chores despite their physical limitations.
This approach is undoubtedly telling women, "You're pregnant, don't cause trouble for your family."
Any woman who reads such clauses would feel a sense of dread.
This guide isn't providing help; it's oppressing and exploiting women.
What’s even more chilling is that, in traditional Korean beliefs, women’s status seems to have always been like this; otherwise, the Childbirth Information Center would not have issued such guidelines.
In reality, many South Korean women do not receive the proper care they deserve during pregnancy. Instead, they are expected to continue caring for their families, as if giving birth is their only duty, one they must complete alone.
While fulfilling the childbirth duty, they are also expected to handle household chores. This concept is daunting, leading more and more women to choose not to marry or have children.
In our culture, pregnant women should be respected and cared for.
But in South Korea, the difficulties women face during pregnancy and childbirth are unimaginable.
How can women not harbor resentment in such an environment?
This phenomenon also indicates that Korean society’s culture has not progressed with the times and still sees women as mere "childbearing tools."
Historically, South Korea has had a severe gender preference for sons, with many families even choosing to abort fetuses upon discovering they were female.
Moreover, the overall environment in Korea is more favorable to men.
There are significant wage gaps between men and women, greater economic pressures on women, and deeper social biases against them.
The various restrictions women face in society, whether in the workplace or at home, make their lives extremely difficult.
In traditional Korean beliefs, women are expected to care for their families, be filial to both sets of parents, and still manage household chores during pregnancy.
This mindset reduces women to being mere appendages of the family.
In modern society, where people’s minds are increasingly free, how can those who have endured long-term oppression continue to endure injustice?
However, even as women resist, they have not managed to change the inequities in society.
Faced with a continually declining fertility rate, many in society still place the blame on women, believing that they should fulfill their duty of childbirth.
But in a society where fairness is not guaranteed, who would be willing to "accept their fate"?
This phenomenon is not limited to women who have not given birth.
Even if they do have children, they must also take on the responsibility of caring for them while managing household chores.
These multiple pressures make childbirth even more daunting, as no one wants to raise children under such circumstances.
While South Korea's attitude toward women is one of the main reasons affecting the fertility rate, it is not the only reason.
To explore the issue of declining fertility rates, many factors need to be considered.
The continuous decline in the number of newborns in Korea in recent years is alarming.
From 400,000 in 2017 to 300,000 in 2020, and down to 230,000 in 2023, as a developed country, South Korea's fertility rate is far below the level needed for sustainable development, which is why the Korean government is paying such close attention.
This is already a severe population issue, which can even be termed a crisis.
If the population continues to decrease at this rate, the future of South Korea is indeed worrying.
The solution proposed by the South Korean government is to increase financial investment, but even after investing 2 trillion won, they have not been able to effectively curb the trend of low fertility rates.
The South Korean government's efforts to encourage childbirth have been insufficient for a long time. Compared to some European countries, South Korea's policies to increase the fertility rate seem relatively weak.
By the time they realized the severity of the population problem, it was already too late. South Korea has already sunk deep into the low fertility rate quagmire, and short-term financial investment is having little effect in reversing the situation.
Moreover, the cost of childbirth in South Korea is relatively high. With the development of the real estate market, housing prices remain high, making it difficult for ordinary families to afford the pressure of buying a house, which further increases the burden of childbirth costs.
Many people are not unwilling to have children, but the cost of having and raising children is too high.
Korean parents also generally uphold the belief that "children must not lose at the starting line," leading to huge expenses for tutoring and extracurricular classes.
For ordinary families, such education costs make them hesitant to have children easily, as they do not want their children to live a difficult life after birth.
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