hankyoreh

By Lee You-jin　
　
A study conducted by the Korea Institute for Health Social Affairs (KIHASA) has given some weight to rumors about society circulating among couples in South Korea in their 40s and 50s.
“I have to bring a pet along with me to get attention from my wife.”
“When you give children their entire inheritance too early, you will be quickly forgotten, but if you don’t give them their inheritance in a timely manner, they will lash out at you.”
In the survey titled “A Society with Low Birth Rates, Rapid Aging and Social Conflict” released Wednesday, 71.8% of female respondents said they anticipated tension between wives and husbands to rise as a number of wives expected to take care of their partners will increase due to prolonged life expectancy. A total of 66.4% of male respondents gave the same opinion on the issue. The survey of 3,000 adults was conducted by KIHASA over a period of 15 days through a phone questionnaire from August to September.
The number of people who expected family disputes between parents and children over inheritance was also high at 63.9 percent. The survey found that the older respondents were, the higher the expectation such conflict would occur. That response accounted for 69.3% among elderly respondents, followed by 66.5% and 58.7% among middle-aged group and younger people, respectively.
In addition, 75.5 percent said there would be conflict among family members due to cultural differences and misunderstanding stemming from international marriages.
The survey was a reflection of the accelerated aging of South Korean society with a record low birthrate as a majority of respondents (79.5%) predicted an increase in discrimination and discord with elderly people. Around 67% of respondents predicted social conflicts to rise due to the rising voting power held by the elderly while 83.6 percent predicted increased social disputes between young and older generations over cultural differences.
The survey also reveals people’s attitude towards different proportion of taxes they have to pay due to the graying population. A total of 60.1% of respondents said people will object to giving tax “free-ride” to elderly citizens who do not have children, but will benefit from social welfare programs funded by people in their 20s and 30s.
“People who raise or will raise children treat the issue of equality seriously in terms of making contributions to society through paying taxes in comparison to those without children,” said KIHASA researcher Park Jong-seo.
(Translated by Kang Jin-kyu, Intern)
　
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