The Policy Research for the Improvement of Excessive Marriage Expense in South Korea

Abstract

Excessive marriage-related expenses have become a serious social problem in South Korea. This has led to marriage delay, a low birthrate, the acceleration of an aging society, decreased national economic growth, and employment problems, among others. In South Korea, the young unmarried men and women cannot adequately prepare to shoulder the excessive expenses related to getting married in the future, as well as the high cost of purchasing a house. In fact, almost all of them are being supported by their parents in their marriage preparations or have secured a loan for such purposes. Small weddings and desirable consumption are thus aggressively being promoted for the prevention of excessive marriage-related expenses in South Korea. The reality, however, is very different. In this study, 1,000 persons (500 men, 500 women) in Seoul, South Korea with less than 5 years of marriage were surveyed for the analysis of excessive marriage-related expenses. The analysis results show that marriage expense support has long-term reciprocity and is statistically significant. The economic support beneficiary model is statistically significant both among the men and the women for childcare, housework, and economic support provision. The economic support provision model, on the other hand, is statistically significant among both the men and the women in terms of housework support. This paper discusses and presents the policy direction for addressing the problem of excessive marriage-related expenses in South Korea. It is believed that the policy direction proposed by this study will also have global implications and will become useful for addressing the problem of excessive marriage-related expenses through research result sharing.

Opting out or left out? The gendered determinants of marriage in South Korea

“…The pooled analysis also indicated that parent homeownership is significant, increasing the risk of men's marriage by 27%. These findings confirm the importance of parental resources for men's marriage as housing remains a significant challenge to martial unions in East Asia (Deng et al, 2019; Lee, 2011; Raymo et al, 2015; Yoon, 2018; Zhang & Bian, 2021). The role of parental wealth in marriage outcomes seems to be indeed a defining feature of strong familism in Korea.…”

“…Our study also helps clarify the unique challenges to marriage in strong familism societies. In Korea and several other comparable contexts, procuring the marital home is a significant hurdle given the “marriage package” defining the responsibilities for grooms and brides (Deng et al, 2019; Ji, 2015; Lee, 2011; Raymo et al, 2015; Yoon, 2018; Zhang & Bian, 2021). This burden is particularly pronounced when real estate market conditions are largely skewed toward home purchases and long‐term “key money” leases, rather than monthly rental properties (Kim, 2013; Ryu & Kim, 2018).…”

“…The procurement of the marital home at the time of marriage is a particularly salient challenge for the groom's family in both China and Korea (Lee, 2011; Yoon, 2018; Zhang & Bian, 2021). Although the different SES variables associated with parents are likely to be related (e.g., higher education leading to higher status and higher paying occupations, which allow for greater capital accumulation), financial assets are especially relevant because of the large amount of capital necessary when purchasing a home or securing a long‐term lease.…”

“…Furthermore, not unlike in the West, “contributions of close kin … are often a necessary component of a respectable wedding” (Kendall, 1996: 158). In addition to that, in China and Korea at least, parents' financial investment in their children's marriage extends well beyond the wedding ceremony with the largest costs related to the preparation of the marital home usually by the groom's family, and the responsibility of covering ancillary costs falling on the bride's family (Deng et al, 2019; Lee, 2011; Raymo et al, 2015; Yang et al, 2021; Yoon, 2018; Zhang & Bian, 2021). Given the host of financial expectations related to weddings and marriages, what Ji (2015) has labeled the “marriage package,” it is not surprising then that rising housing prices are associated with declines in marriage rates in both China and Korea (Jiang et al, 2015; Wrenn et al, 2019; Yi & Lee, 2011).…”

“…According to a 2016 government report published by South Korea's Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, the average cost of marrying, including the procurement of the marital home, was $152,685 USD for men and $82,212 USD for women (Yoon, 2018: 44). As Yoon explains, because of exorbitant housing costs “parents are thus the ones who often shoulder a considerable part of the excessive marriage‐related expenses” (2018: 45).…”