Korean Job Discussion Forums

[bassexpander]

More evidence that Korea's number one problem is not the hagwons. It's families being overworked, not having enough time for family. For the sake of Korea's future, I hope they realize this soon.

Childcare is still relatively cheap here, despite what they think it costs. Parents just don't have time to raise kids -- they work too much! THAT is the real elephant in the room (but it'll be too late before any action is taken to lessen the slave-driver, chaebol-driven workload). Parents don't need to pay for childcare when one parent can afford to stay home. That's the problem -- they can't stay home. Both have to work to make ends meet. The lucky families have grandma to raise the kid while mom and dad work!

Then there are people "working" and going out to the bars/room salons/night clubs past 10pm at night, instead of spending quality time with their spouse.

Insanely expensive housing also causes young people to avoid marriage.

I feel sorry for my Korean friends. Something needs to be done quickly, or full-blooded Koreans might find themselves in the minority within 50 years.

My guess is that mixed families won't find themselves facing the same cultural expectations and difficulties that traditional Korean families do. As someone mentioned in the comments, expectations are too high for Korean women who marry into a family. I believe a lot of women would just rather not deal with catering to the mother-in-law.


http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/biz/2009/11/123_56052.html

[PatrickGHBusan]

Kinda of a typical statistical evolution as a country gets more affluent and wealthy....

Birthrate goes down and divorce goes up as women gain more influence and status.

The problem Korea (and Japan) has is that there is virtually no immigration to counter the demographic decline.

Looking at western countries like say Canada...immigration is increasing to counter low birth rates in several provinces.

Your analysis is interesting bass but you glance over a few elements to make your point and I am not quite sure how relevant or related they are to the birthrate and divorce rate. For example, what proof do you have that Korean men (I assume you mean men) do not spend much quality time with their spouse and kids? Beyind what you see or hear (which of course is then stories and hearsay)?

Korean men work long hours but this has been the case for decades, or even well over 100 years. Yet the birth rate is down fairly recently no?

The new element is wealth (in relative terms) and changes in society. changes that go for the ratrace acquisiton of more goods like bigger appartments, bigger cars, more consumer goods in the house and so on. The race is on like back here in Canada where surprisingly the birthrate and divorce rate shot up as consumption increased and hence cost and as women started working as they gained ever increasing access to careers....



My two cents.

[Old Gil]

[Joe666]

Old Gil wrote:

[Alaskaman]

Or what was done to them and how they were treated is the behavior they want to do so they do not feel like a victim. It has the same pattern as the cycle of abuse in the home. Dad hits mom, son then gets married and does the same as he does not completely understand that this behavior is outrageous. Just a though.....

[CentralCali]

[Xuanzang]

[redaxe]

[The Goalie]

There may be factors at work that I don't understand (in fact I know there are) but as for decline in birthrate, I can't get too upset about it. I'll take planet over country, economy, fitness of our species, etc. any day. If we could curb the birthrate and stop spending so much money making people live longer perhaps we could get by fine with fewer people. I agree with what someone else said about immigration - better just to move people around than make new ones.

[Steelrails]

[redaxe]

[redaxe]

[Xuanzang]

[The Goalie]

I'm sorry but does it matter if "full-blooded Koreans" are in the minority? Mixing up the gene pool can only lead to more vigorous offspring.

They're usually better looking, too.

[WavFunc]

The funny thing is that despite the fact that a lot of these problems can be directly connected to the absurdly long work hours Koreans endure, the only thing I can see happening in Korea's future is even longer work hours.

A year or two ago, 이명박 was talking about reinstating the six day work week. If anything, in the next decade or so, Koreans will actually be working longer than they are now (and still accomplishing less). Its what they keep asking for.

I think adjumma and adjosshi who have retired think the current generation is lazy for only working/studying 50-60 hours a week.