More young Korean women are saying 'I do' as their marriage concerns ease

Until a few years ago, a 28-year-old office worker planned to remain single and eventually move into a shared “single’s town” with friends when they all retired. Watching her mother give up both her education and career aspirations for the sake of the family while growing up led her to believe that marriage was disadvantageous for women.

Her perspective changed after she started to work three years ago. She saw other women return to work after getting married or having children without being sidelined or passed over for promotions, successfully balancing their careers with parenting.

“Getting married doesn’t necessarily mean the end of your career now,” she said. “Building a family and raising children are difficult, but there were many times when colleagues who were married seemed happier than those who weren’t.”

She plans to marry her partner of the past two years at the end of next year.

As Korean women’s apprehensions about marriage — namely career disruptions and bearing the brunt of child care responsibilities — gradually ease, the country’s marriage rate is rebounding.

Women in their early 30s, who have typically been the most concerned group, are driving the recovery as their fears about marriage begin to subside.

Analysts also say that married women’s growing participation in the work force is, in turn, reducing men’s financial anxieties about marriage.

Key to higher marriage rates

Women in their early 30s — commonly regarded as the prime age for marriage — have become the driving force behind the rebound. Their growing willingness to marry has made them the most important demographic for efforts to raise the country’s marriage rate.

In 2021, the marriage rate among women aged 30 to 34 reached 40.8 per 1,000, surpassing the rate of 38.2 among those aged 25 to 29, according to the Ministry of Data and Statistics’ data on women’s age-specific first marriage rates.

The gap has continued to widen. By last year, the marriage rate among women aged 30 to 34 exceeded that of those aged 25 to 29 by 13.3 marriages per 1,000 people.

As a result, reducing women’s fears of disrupted careers has become a key factor in boosting marriage rates.

The share of women in their 30s experiencing career interruptions has steadily declined in the past several years as marriage rates have rebounded.

In 2015, the employment rate for women in their 30s stood at 56.9 percent — 2.5 percentage points lower than that of women in their 20s at 59.4 percent, and 8.8 percentage points lower than that of those in their 40s at 65.7 percent, according to the Ministry of Data and Statistics.

But by last year, the employment rate for women in their 30s climbed to 73.1 percent, marking an increase of 16.2 percentage points over the past decade. The figure surpassed those of women in their 20s and 40s at 62.6 percent and 68.6 percent, respectively. 

Korea traditionally exhibits an M-shaped employment curve for women. Work force participation is usually high among women in their 20s, falls among those in their 30s due to marriage and childbirth and rises again among women in their 40s.

The latest figures suggest that women in their 30s are no longer leaving their jobs after marriage. Instead, they are now participating in the labor market more actively than any other age group.

The growing number of men taking parental leave has also helped reduce women’s child care burden and soften negative attitudes toward marriage.

The share of eligible fathers taking parental leave increased from just 0.6 percent in 2015 to 10.2 percent in 2024, according to the Ministry of Data and Statistics.

“It appears that institutional efforts to break the longstanding structure in which marriage effectively meant career interruption are producing tangible results,” said Yoo Jae-eon, a professor of social welfare at Gachon University.

Last year, the government allocated 4.56 trillion won ($3.3 billion) for work-family balance support policies, more than double the 2020 budget. The largest portion, 3.4 trillion won, was devoted to parental leave benefits.

The government has expanded related support programs in line with the increased funding. Beginning this year, the Ministry of Employment and Labor raised monthly subsidies for hiring temporary replacement workers during parental leave from 1.2 million won to 1.4 million won.

Employees with children aged 12 or younger can now also reduce their working hours by one hour a day without a reduction in pay, and expectant fathers can use paternity leave during their partner’s pregnancy, not only after the child is born, to encourage greater participation in childbirth and child care.

More couples want to get married

As their marriage concerns ease, women in their 30s are becoming increasingly willing to marry.

The Presidential Committee on Ageing Society and Population Policy conducted its fifth survey on public perceptions of marriage, childbirth, parenting and the government’s low birthrate policies from March 25 to 31. A total of 55.4 percent of women in their 30s indicated that they intended to marry, up 7 percentage points from the 48.4 percent recorded in the first survey conducted in March 2024

Analysts also suggest that changing attitudes among women toward marriage are reducing men’s concerns about marriage as well. As dual income households become more common and financial responsibilities are shared, men may feel less pressure to shoulder the entire burden of supporting a family.

The committee’s latest survey found that among unmarried respondents who wished to marry but had postponed marriage because of financial concerns, 75.1 percent of men and 72.6 percent of women cited wedding expenses as the main obstacle.

The gender gap in responses has narrowed considerably. In 2024, 82.5 percent of men and 63.1 percent of women gave the same answer, indicating that financial concerns are now being shared more equally.

The same survey found that 67.4 percent of unmarried men and women intended to marry, up 6.4 percentage points from 61 percent two years earlier.

“These days, regardless of gender, many clients view marriage as an economic partnership and are looking for someone with whom they can build assets,” said Jeon Eun-seon, a matchmaker at the marriage agency Gayeon.

Marrying for stability

As negative perceptions of marriage continue to fade, more young adults are focusing on its potential benefits, such as sharing everyday pains and joys with a lifelong companion. 

A 38-year-old man who married this year after dating his partner for 10 years only began to consider marriage in his early 30s. He eventually decided to start a family after thinking about growing old.

“Having to be sick alone and spend my free time without a spouse or children doesn’t seem appealing at all,” he said.

Kwak Gyu-hyun, a 31-year-old who once never intended to marry, also changed her mind a few years ago and is preparing to marry next August.

“I wanted emotional stability and came to believe that [my partner and I] could overcome life’s challenges, so I gave up the idea of staying single,” she said.

The changing atmosphere is also attracting younger clients to matchmaking companies.

People in their 20s and 30s accounted for 70.8 percent of new members in 2021, according to Gayeon. The share slipped to 70.1 percent in 2022 and 68.8 percent in 2023 before rebounding in 2024 and recovering to 70.5 percent last year.

“Ten years ago, many people saw marriage as something that restricted personal freedom or wasted youth,” Gayeon’s matchmaker Jeon said. “Trends such as YOLO [you only live once] and remaining single were considered fashionable.”

“Today, however, some clients believe marriage is a better choice than remaining single because it offers greater emotional stability and helps them prepare for later life,” she continued.

BY LEE GYU-RIM, LEE AH-MI [kim.jiye@joongang.co.kr]