In S Korea, one newborn boy in five will not marry
Seoul (AsiaNews) - One out of five South Korean boys born between 2010 and 2013 will never marry. One girl in six will suffer the same fate. Economic competition is the main culprit as South Koreans choose work and career over marriage and family life and the demands they entail. The government is trying to counter the trend. After sounding the alarm for years, the Catholic Church is also trying to develop ways to help people cope with the problem.
Statistics Korea's data have found a wide echo in the national media. The survey by South Korea's statistical institute noted that the trend is getting worse. For boys, the figure rose from 15.1 per cent three years ago to 20.9 per cent now; for girls, it went from 9.1 per cent to 15.1 per cent.
"We should not be surprised. Our society prizes work and career and marriage is seen as an obstacle," said Fr Luke Lee, from the Archdiocese of Seoul.
The problem of more single people is compounded by one of the lowest birth rates in the world, 1.05 per cent.
What is more, the chances of men being widowed stand at a mere 17.3 per cent but the chances for women at 61.7 per cent, because women have a higher life expectancy and husbands are still usually older than their wives.
"More and more people are getting married later on in life and a growing number choose to stay single, boosting the chances of people remaining unmarried until death," said a Statistics Korea official.
In view of the situation, the Catholic Church has tried to stir South Korean society. Each diocese has pro-life and pro-marriage plans. Priests and lay people also teach courses in the country's big cities about the value of family life as the basis of social life.
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