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KMID : 0950020050310020103
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Journal of Health Science & Medical Technology
2005 Volume.31 No. 2 p.103 ~ p.112
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The Causes and Measures of Fertility Decline in Korea
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Rhim Kook-Hwan
Choi Man-Kyu
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Abstract
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A rapid and persistent decline of the birth rate in Korea began to occur in the early 1960s when the government enforced a five-year plan for economic development and a birth control policy for the declining rate. Recently, as a result, the total birth rate has declined to 1.19 which is the lowest level in the world according to the National Statistical Office. Fertility decline foreshadows serious social problems and a decrease in the national economic development such as the decline of economic activity population, the increase of the duty of supporting an aging population. The aim of this study is first to examine the present situation and problems related to low fertility, and then to inquire into and discover the factors affecting the birth rate by comparing data from the 1970s to the recent trend of Korea’s precipitous drop in the birth rate. As for the cause of the fertility decline, this study examined the marriage and delivery age of women, the divorce rate, and the birth sex ratio as a demographic factors, and GNI(gross national income), the proportion of women’s economic activity, the expense of bringing up children as a socio-economic factors. This study also analyzed the correlation between the birth rate and the relevant factors as the previous stage of the multiple regression analysis to discover the affects on the birth rate. As a result, the correlation among relevant factors, independent variables, was very high. So the stepwise multiple regression analysis(applied a reduced regression model) was performed to find out factors affecting the contin??uously decreasing the birth rate. As a result, the marriage age of women proved a negative factor affecting, statistically and significantly, the contin??uously decreasing total fertility in Korea. After all, a government supported policy and social circumstance are required to decrease women’s marriage age.
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KEYWORD
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birth rate, fertility decline, women’s economic activity
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