Writing Project 3
Part 1
According to the National Institutes of Health, developed countries require a replacement level fertility of 2.1 to sustain its population. (Craig, 1994) The fertility rate of 2.1 translates to an average of 2.1 children being born for every woman.
South Korea had a fertility rate of 0.78 in 2022 and is projected to fall to 0.65 in 2025. (Statistics Korea) South Korea maintains an unappealing lead as the country with the lowest fertility rate, and is facing an imminent population crisis. There are worries of the country being unable to sustain its population in the near future and face an “extinction” due to the declining birth rate. Although the population crisis is attributed to multiple factors, the main contributing factors include gender-based inequality, economic barriers for family planning, weak government policies, and lack of effective initiatives for change. The population crisis raises concern for the current and future impacts it will have on the country.
To better understand the current population crisis, it is important to dive into the socio economic issues that are present in the country. Post-Korean War, South Korea witnessed rapid industrialization and strong economic growth. With its political independence and direction of its military regimes, the country experienced an “economic miracle” and had one of the most significant economic growths in history. (Seth, 2017) Following the industrialization of the country, South Korea has experienced the common consequences of economic growth: high unemployment rates, lack of affordable housing, high cost of living, and population density. (Ahn, 2023)
Furthermore, raising a child requires more than providing basic needs in South Korea. Education in South Korea is notoriously known for its high academic competition and the private education system. According to Bloomberg News, “Monthly spending on additional private schooling, or “hagwons,” climbed to 410,000 won ($315) on average for each student last year, up 11.8% from 2021.” (2023) Although these additional costs are technically optional, these heavy investments into private schooling are considered essential for academic success in the country, and an expected cost for childcare.
Due to the economic climate, young adults are less enticed to invest into marriages let alone starting families without financial stability. In a YouTube street interview conducted by AsianBoss (2023), several young individuals shared their reasons behind their opinions on marriage and raising children. A recurring problem concerns the difficult economic state for these young individuals as the cost of living is high. Couples shared that raising a child requires a substantial amount of money due to private schooling costs on top of basic living costs, and seems unfeasible without a dual-income household. However, even with a stable job, the salary in this economy is not sustainable for raising a family. Economic stability allows for young adults to pursue marriage and start families, but due to the financial constraints, these individuals are too busy fending for themselves. As a result, the economic issues in South Korea have had adverse effects on the marriage rate and fertility rate.
In addition to the economic problems in the country, South Korea also faces gender-based issues that have negatively impacted the livelihood of women. Despite South Korea’s rapid economic growth, the country remains socially conservative and struggles with gender equality. When it comes to fair wages, “Women in South Korea earn only 63% of men's salaries - one of the highest pay gaps among developed nations. The Economist also ranks South Korea as the worst developed nation in which to be a working woman, in its glass ceiling index.” (Kim, 2019) Furthermore, women in South Korea face gender-based violence. “A 2016 survey by the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family found the incidence of intimate-partner violence at 41.5 percent, significantly higher than the global average of 30 percent.” (Sussman, 2023)
To further expand on the gender-based struggles in South Korea, a popular yet controversial novel, “Kim Ji-Young, Born in 1982”, depicts the daily struggles of womanhood. The main character struggles with gender discrimination, the limitations of gender norms, and the pressures of womanhood; some of which are culturally unique to South Korea. This novel and the film adaptation garnered support from women but sparked outrage amongst men. At the release of the novel and film adaptation, gender tensions were high in South Korea with the presence of the #MeToo movement has now fueled the sentiments of the 4B Movement. The “4B is shorthand for four Korean words that all start with bi-, or “no”: The first no, bihon, is the refusal of heterosexual marriage.Bichulsan is the refusal of childbirth, biyeonae is saying no to dating, and bisekseu is the rejection of heterosexual sexual relationships.” (Sussman, 2023) The socioeconomic factors that South Korean women face have collectively repelled women from seeking marriage and family planning. Not only do the women face an economic disadvantage in the workforce, but they also struggle with gender-based violence. Although seemingly extreme, the 4B movement is a response to the current existing problems in South Korea.
Adding to the socio economic factors, South Korea faces difficulty in implementing effective government measures to help support couples and families, and lack a leadership that understands the core of the issue. The South Korean government has directed multiple government initiatives including subsidizing child care, providing paid paternity and maternity leave, and providing bonuses for childbirth. (Ahn, 2023) However, these are band-aid solutions to a problem that concerns a fundamental issue surrounding South Korea. These government initiatives do not resolve the flaws in the system when it comes to promoting sustainable, living wages and protecting women’s rights. To make matters worse, “President Yoon Suk-yeol, elected last year, has suggested feminism is to blame for blocking “healthy relationships” between men and women.” (Jung, 2023) The President has also vowed to remove the gender equality ministry in the country despite the apparent gender inequality in the country.
As a result of the trending decline in the population rate, South Korea has already experienced the negative effects of this crisis. South Korea, like most countries, has population densities that are concentrated in major cities. Cities such Seoul and Busan have a strong population density, and have a great influx of individuals as many rural townsfolk often move to major cities for better opportunities. However, for rural cities, population flight will now be entangled with population decline. In an article published by the Los Angeles Times, rural cities in South Korea are facing school closures as these institutions lack the student body to keep doors open. (Kim, 2023) With the declining birth rate, schools in rural cities are the first to experience the consequences of a lack of children. This phenomenon occurring in rural cities is a telltale sign of what is to come for the country in the near future.
The future impacts of the population crisis are even more alarming than school closures. With a declining birth rate, as the current population ages, there will be less young individuals to replace the workforce. The shrinking workforce poses a threat to the economic growth of the country in the future, and can have a detrimental impact on the country’s standing in the global economy. The dangers of a shrinking workforce are also reflected in the realms of national security. South Korean men are required to serve in the compulsory military service as the country is still technically in a state of war against North Korea, and requires a defensive force. However, with the declining population, lack of eligible men for the military in the future threatens national security. (Kim, 2023)
South Korea faces an imminent population crisis that is due to a collective of factors. With high costs of living and lack of affordable housing, young individuals are wary of marriage and family planning without financial stability. To weigh in, women in South Korea experience gender discrimination and gender-based violence that impact their livelihood. Despite these prominent issues, the government has failed to address and resolve the problems at the core and have only delivered subpar, temporary solutions to a problem that will bring upon permanent damage.
References
Ahn, Ashley. "South Korea has the World’s Lowest Fertility Rate, A Struggle with Lessons for
Us All." NPR, 19 March 2023, www.npr.org/2023/03/19/1163341684/south-korea-fertility-rate
Craig J., Replacement level fertility and future population growth, Population Trends, 1994
Winter;(78):20-2. PMID: 7834459.
Jung, Hawon. “Women in South Korea Are on Strike Against Being ‘Baby-Making
Machines.’” New York Times, 27 January 2023, www.nytimes.com/2023/01/27/opinion/south-korea-fertility-rate-feminism.html
Kim, Max. “One sign of South Korea’s population crisis: Rural elementary schools are running
out of children.” Los Angeles Times, 8 May 2023,
www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2023-05-08/south-korea-population-crisis-rural-sch
Kim, Sam. “South Korea Expects Its Already-World’s-Lowest Fertility Rate to Keep
Falling.” Times, 23 December 2023,
https://time.com/6488894/south-korea-low-fertility-rate-trend-decline/
Seth, Michael J. "South Korea’s Economic Development, 1948–1996." Oxford Research
Encyclopedia of Asian History. December 19, 2017. Oxford University Press.
Statistics Korea 2024, Statistics Korea, viewed 21 Feb 2024,
https://kostat.go.kr/menu.es?mid=a20208060000
Sussman, Anna Louie. “A World Without Men The women of South Korea’s 4B
movement aren’t fighting the patriarchy — they’re leaving it behind entirely.” The Cut, 8
March 2023, www.thecut.com/2023/03/4b-movement-feminism-south-korea.html
“Do Koreans Not Want To Have Babies Anymore? | Street Interview” Youtube, uploaded by
Asian Boss, 25 September 2022, www.youtube.com/watch?v=qw-ZQ46rLSA
Part 2
For my Writing Project 3, I chose the route of writing a social analysis paper directed towards an audience that might have little to no knowledge of the current population crisis occurring in South Korea. I felt that the direction of a social analysis paper allowed me to actively use my references as source material to explain and dissect a multifaceted topic. This genre of writing lays out a foundation of thought and understanding for my future plans of Writing Project 4.
The structure of a social analysis allowed me to introduce the population crisis in South Korea as a topic and delve deeper into the contributing factors and social discourse surrounding the low birth rate. The flow and writing convention of a social analysis paper allowed me to explain the social issue, and draw upon articles and data to support my findings. I utilized the formatting to explore the social, economic, and political factors that are contributing to the population crisis, and have a clear flow of ideas. When writing, I took measures to explain the in’s and out’s of the main contributing factors and a reference source to corroborate my findings of the issue. The focus of this genre of writing forced me to analyze the social issue from a strictly fact-based and analytical point of view.
The formatting of this social analysis paper is directed to an audience that has little to no knowledge of the ongoing issue because I felt this would allow me the opportunity to dissect the issue thoroughly. At first, I was conflicted by the direction I would take for Writing Project 3 because I was unsure if I wanted to write an informational or argumentative piece. However, the feedback conference and writing workshop helped me picture a plan for both my writing projects. When discussing my plans for Writing Project 3 during the Bring What You Have workshop, my peers were unaware of the current issue in South Korea and agreed that a social analysis paper as my genre would be a great starting point as preparation for Writing Project 4. Thus, I chose to write from the perspective of educating an audience in an academic setting so that it pushes me to expand on every idea that I present. I write with the idea that my audience has no clue about the social, economic, and political issues in South Korea and why they are contributing to the low birth rate in the country.
Additionally, if my reader were able to read my Writing Project 3 in sequence to Writing Project 4, it would also be accommodating and a logical flow of ideas. It would allow me to write Writing Project 4 for an audience that has a decent understanding of the issue presented, and I can spend less time explaining and more time on the argumentative aspect of the paper. The objective standpoint tied with the uneducated audience is a strong reference paper for my argument in the future.
As a precursor to Writing Project 4, I believed that writing a social analysis paper would encourage me to explore all the contributing factors to this social issue, and implore me to dissect and analyze this social issue so that I can further understand it as well. With this social analysis writing piece, I hoped to gain a better grasp on the issue and allow me to write a strong argumentative essay for my Writing Project 4. Logically, I felt that writing a sort of analysis or informational essay served as a great foundation for writing an argumentative or persuasive paper in the future versus vice versa. After writing this social analysis paper, I have a far better understanding of my references and am confident that I am able to utilize these sources to support my argumentative take in Writing Project 4. This genre of writing also enabled me to decide which social issue I wanted to explore or delve deeper into when it comes to Writing Project 4. Before writing this piece, I was unsure of which aspect of the problem I wanted to argue for or against, but after writing, I have a better idea of which argumentative point I feel would be stronger or weaker. I know which argument would have more or less source material to corroborate or support my backings, and helped me narrow down my plans. In order to have a strong argument, it is essential to have a strong understanding of the issue I am arguing about. In addition, I find comfort in social analysis paper formatting and believe that writing in a format and convention I am comfortable and familiar with will allow me to achieve greater success in Writing Project 4. Overall, I chose the genre and audience of Writing Project 3 with the idea that it would be a building block for Writing Project 4.