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Disparities in perceptions of having and raising a child between Korean men and women were most pronounced among those in their 20s, a new survey found. 

The Hankyoreh commissioned Global Research to conduct a survey on 1,000 Koreans aged 19 to 44 on the perception that having a child was disadvantageous for women. The survey was conducted from Sept. 10 to 13. 

Among women in their mid to late 20s (25-29), 92.6% of respondents agreed that having a child overall puts women at a disadvantage. Among men in the same age group, 46.1% agreed with the sentiment. This represents a gender disparity of 46.5 percentage points, meaning that the number of women who agreed with the statement was nearly double the number of men. 

Respondents were divided into five age groups, each category representing five years. The 25-29 cohort displayed the highest proportion of agreement with the statement. 

The gender disparity was 33.9 percentage points among respondents aged 19 to 24; 29.6 percentage points in the 30-34 category; 27.7 percentage points in the 35-39 category; and 27.1 percentage points in the 40-44 category. The gap tended to be greater the younger the respondents were.

The biggest disparities were displayed among young Koreans who have yet to marry or raise children. But among all age and gender cohorts, including men in their 20s, more respondents agreed that having a child put women at a disadvantage than agreed it put men at a disadvantage.  

The gender disparity in perceptions of gender equality in Korean society at large was also the largest among respondents in their 20s. Only 7.3% of male respondents agreed to the statement that living in South Korea as a man was easier, while 58.4% of female respondents agreed with the statement. This was the largest gender disparity among all age brackets. 

In the opposite direction, while only 5.6% of women in their early 20s agreed with the statement that life was better for women in Korea, 46.9% of men in the same age cohort said this was the case. 

Men in their early 20s were more likely than any other group surveyed to believe that women face less discrimination in the workplace. While 67.7% of men in their early 20s felt that there was “little” discrimination against women in the workplace, only 23.6% of women in the same age bracket felt the same. 

The disparity between these two groups was greater than any observed between the genders in any other age bracket, demonstrating that the greatest disparity on gender equality in the workplace was among those who have the least amount of experience in working environments. 

By Ryu Yi-geun, senior staff writer at the Hankyoreh Economy and Society Research Institute; Han Gwi-young, researcher

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