Despite government efforts, including a massive $200 billion investment in birthrate incentives, South Korea’s population is resisting the idea of having children. Recently, the country reached a new record-low fertility rate worldwide. Data released in November revealed that the average number of children per South Korean woman has dropped to 0.79 over her lifetime. This figure is significantly below the 2.1 needed to maintain a stable population and even lower than that of other developed countries, such as the United States (1.6) and Japan, which has recorded its lowest-ever rate at 1.3.

This decline in fertility rates poses challenges for South Korea, especially due to its aging population and the impending shortage of workers to sustain the pension system. Although the causes are often linked to economic factors such as high real estate prices, educational costs, and financial anxiety, the problem has proven resistant to successive governments’ attempts to resolve it, despite significant investments.

Critics argue that the issue goes beyond economics and requires a shift in approach. However, it remains uncertain whether the government is willing to listen and take action on this challenge.

During a visit to a daycare center in September, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol acknowledged that more than $200 billion had been spent in an attempt to boost the population over the past 16 years. However, since taking office in May, his government has presented few new ideas to solve the problem, instead continuing along the same lines—creating a committee to discuss the issue and promising even more financial support for newborns. A monthly allowance for parents with babies up to one year old will increase from the current 300,000 won to 700,000 won ($230 to $540) in 2023 and to 1 million won ($770) by 2024, according to the Yoon administration.

During his visit to the nursery, Yoon expressed surprise that babies and young children were not being cared for at home and appeared to suggest that it was common for six-month-old babies to walk, leading to criticism that he is out of touch with the issue (the average age for babies to walk is 12 months).

Many experts believe that the current approach of simply throwing money at the problem is too one-dimensional and that what is needed instead is sustained support throughout a child’s life.

Visiting the booths at a recent baby fair was Kim Min-jeong. She criticizes the government’s promise of more funds, saying, “They changed the names and merged the benefits, but for parents like us, there are no real additional benefits.”

The problem she faces, she said, is that she has been unable to work since her first child was born, as she and her husband cannot afford private daycare centers.

Government-funded daycare centers are free, but a handful of scandals in recent years involving caregivers abusing babies have driven many parents away. Although such cases have been minimal, they were widely publicized.

Beyond economic challenges, deeply ingrained social issues are also discouraging future parents in South Korea, and these problems are likely to persist regardless of financial incentives.

One such issue is the existence of unwritten norms regarding parenthood. While having children is highly valued, South Korean society still strongly disapproves of single parents. Single women do not have access to in vitro fertilization treatment, according to official hospital data.

Law professor Cho Hee-kyoung, who addresses social issues in his newspaper column, notes that a puritanical mindset regarding single mothers persists in South Korean society. He questions why pregnancy outside of marriage is seen as a mistake, challenging the necessity of marriage for raising a child.

Additionally, couples in non-traditional relationships also face discrimination. South Korea does not recognize same-sex marriage, and regulations make adoption difficult for unmarried couples.

Lee Jin-song, an author of books on young people’s growing tendency to avoid marriage and parenthood, highlights the need for fertility-boosting policies that embrace a broader range of family structures. He notes that current policies tend to favor the traditional concept of heterosexual marriage, excluding people with disabilities, illnesses, or reproductive health issues.

Lee pointed to a common joke in South Korea: “If you’re not dating by 25, you’ll turn into a crane,” meaning that if you remain single, you become non-human. She noted that society labels people like her as selfish for not following traditional expectations of marriage and children, “neglecting their duties to society solely for their own happiness.”

Lee emphasized the pressures on women to have children in a patriarchal society that is evolving slowly. “Marriage, childbirth, and childcare demand too many sacrifices from women in a patriarchal society, especially in the last decade. So, they are starting to explore the possibility of living well without getting married.”

Professor Cho agreed, noting that there is still a social expectation for fathers to sacrifice for their careers while mothers sustain the family, even if they also work. “I know many couples where women earn more than men, but when they come home, it’s still the women who have to do the housework, take care of the children, and provide emotional support to their husbands.”

Meanwhile, husbands who wish to be more involved in childcare face obstacles due to South Korea’s corporate culture, which does not always allow for such flexibility. Although parental leave has been extended on paper, few feel comfortable taking full advantage of it.

There is a widespread fear that workers who prioritize family will rarely be recognized or promoted. “It would be positive if companies considered employees with children, excluding them from nighttime events or dinners, for example,” one interviewee said.

In South Korea, work does not end when office hours do. There is a deeply ingrained culture of “after-work socializing,” and skipping these events is frowned upon.

Lee, who worked at a brokerage firm before founding her own company, chose to leave the workforce seven years ago, feeling that there was no viable alternative to balancing her career with raising children, as she did not want to put them in daycare.

“Raising a child is incredibly valuable, meaningful, and personally fulfilling, but sometimes it feels like it’s not properly valued by society,” Lee observed.