Study: Women’s raises keep the birthrate down

Study: Women’s raises keep the birthrate down

Reported December 13, 2008

If a woman’s salary goes up, she is less likely to have children, while a man’s salary increase has the opposite effect, according to a report by the Korea Development Institution.

A report by researcher Kim Jeong-ho released yesterday found that if a woman’s salary goes up by 10 percent, the probability of her having a first child goes down by 2.5 percent.

For women who already have one child, a 10 percent raise lowers the probability of them having a second child by 2.7 percent.

“Between 1980 to 2005, a salary rise was cited as the main factor preventing a woman from having a second child,” Kim said.

 

 

But if a man’s salary goes up by 10 percent the chances of him having a second child goes up 3.2 percent.

This research was based on nationwide birthrate data from 2006 on 6,632 married women.

A forum on the low birthrate, organized by the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs, took place yesterday.

“Instead of the government having a specific number concerning raising the birthrate, it should execute policies to help couples start families in a stable environment,” Kim said.