The Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs (KIHASA) has conducted the National Survey on Fertility and Family Health and Welfare every three years since the early 1970s. The 2015 Survey was conducted of about 11,000 ever-married women of childbearing ages (15~49) and never-married men and women aged 20~44, who resided in households within the enumeration districts for 2010 Population and Housing Census. The survey items were focused on marriage and fertility behaviors of individuals and households of different demographic and socioeconomic groups.
As a result, the attitude toward marriage was considerably negative among single men and, to a greater extent, among single women. The proportion of ever-married women who failed to be pregnant without any contraception during the previous year was over 10 percent, of whom 40 percent were diagnosed as infertile. The rate of pregnancy waste was 20 percent. The rate was higher for ever-married women who lived in rural areas, were employed, or married later.
About ten percent of ever-married women showed indif-ferent attitude about having a child. Such attitude was more pervasive in single persons: 18 percent for single men and 30 percent for single women. The reasons cited by the ever-married women for wanting no more than one child were “burden for education of child”, “incompatibility between work and life”, etc. Three-fifths of the ever-married women were found to have experienced a career break after marriage, 45 percent after first childbirth, and 20 percent after second childbirth. About 15 percent of the demand for institutional childcare went unmet for children aged 0~2; almost 30 percent of the demand for after-school care for 4th graders and younger elementary school children went unmet.
In conclusion, the results of the survey are expected to be of use not only for academic purposes but also in the evaluation and improvement of related policies
