The rise of the childless single in South Korea

Abstract

We review the literature to show why South Korea is witnessing a dramatic rise in young adults who opt into childless singlehood. We argue that social change occurred over a compressed amount of time in South Korea. Confucian familism and ideational factors specific to the Second Demographic Transition (SDT) coexist and collide. The demands of Confucian familism also tend to be incompatible with the socioeconomic realities facing young adults. Influenced by the ideational factors characterizing the SDT, young adults may feel that it is acceptable to forego marriage. However, due to the strong influence of Confucianism on the institution of marriage, they may perceive married life to be largely inflexible. Thus, when confronted with incompatibilities between married life and other life domains, growing shares of Korean young adults may avoid married life and opt for childless singlehood.

Kaleidoscopic perspectives on theorizing singlehood

“…Choi and Qian (2023) engage with the pathway perspective around social change in their paper on South Korea, where a growing share of young adults are opting into childless singlehood. Choi and Qian highlight the second demographic transition—a theoretical view that stresses the rise of individualism, self‐actualization, and nonconformity as populations undergo demographic shifts—and how it conflicts with Confucian familism in a society where marriage and childbearing go hand in hand.…”

“…Yoshida uses a feminist perspective along with Durkheim's theory of anomie to shift the focus away from individual choice‐making to how social structures and context influence behavior. Yoshida concludes by arguing that research needs to center singlehood experiences and develop theories that apply in non‐Western societies, which Choi and Qian's (2023) piece reflects as well.…”