Portion of unmarried grown men growing

Posted on : 2012-01-10 13:58 KST Modified on : 2019-10-19 20:29 KST
30-something men without wives becoming social problem

By Choi Hyun-june

A recent survey has found that one in four males in their late 30s is not married. This is a significant increase from the past when the average marriage age was lower.
According to a report by Statistics Korea, 26.9% of men between the ages of 35 and 39 weren’t married in 2010. This shows a fourfold increase over the last 15 years, from one out of sixteen (6.1%) in 1995. The portion of unmarried men between the ages of 40 and 44 increased from 2.6% to 14.8%, and between ages 45 and 59 increased from 1.2% to 8.2% over the same period.
The rate of unmarried women was lower than the rate of unmarried men. 12.4% of women between aged of 35 and 39 weren’t married, and 5.9% between 40 and 44, 3.3% between 45 and 49 were followed after.
“While women decide to be unmarried, men are compelled to be unmarried,” said Lee Sung-Yong, professor of Sociology at Kangnam University. “The rate of unmarried men has recently become a social problem; there needs to be social concern.”
The average age for a man’s first marriage has climbed 3.9 years from 27.9 in 1990 to 31.8 in 2010. The average age for a woman’s first marriage has climbed 4.1 years as well from 24.8 to 28.9 over the same period.
(Translated by Kim Moon-hee, Intern) 

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