South Korea’s Baby‑Bottleneck: Why Women Are “Freezing” (Not Firing)
At 34, Lim Eun‑young, a public‑sector go‑getter, admits that she isn’t ready to start a family yet. Why not? Think of sky‑high rent, a tuition treadmill that never stops, and the idea that you need a “Mr.” before you can get a “kid.” Meanwhile, she’s quietly preserving her eggs, just in case that dreaded biological clock starts ticking.
Egg‑Freezing: The “Delay” Game
- Last year, about 1,200 single women hopped onto the cello of fertility services at CHA Medical Center (no code needed, just the fact). Fast‑forward two years – that number’s doubled.
- CHA owns a whopping 30 % of South Korea’s IVF market. That’s more than one quarter of the country’s egg‑banking business.
- Lim’s reaction? “It’s a huge relief. I know I’ve got healthy eggs safe and sound.”
Why Birth Rates Are Saying “No”
The country’s fertility rate is an absurd 0.81—the #1 lowest in the world. Compare that to the OECD average of 1.59, and you’re seeing the staggering gap (2020 stats, because Google doesn’t need to announce the latest figures).
To boot, the government poured ¥46.7 trillion (≈S$51 billion) into trying to get more babies on the scene last year. Still, the education system feels like a “cram‑school race” that makes even a single child feel like a student of the cruel debt‑machine.
Housing: The Silent “Get‑Place” Hack
- In Seoul, an average apartment now costs about 19 years of median household income. Back in 2017 it was only 11 years.
- People are living to pay rent, not to raise children.
One nurse, Cho So‑Young (aka the next “Egg‑Freezer”), says she’s waiting until she’s got a little nicer nest before welcoming a child: “I can’t give my baby the kind of home I’d want. I want a good neighbourhood and decent food.”
Marriage Is Still the Gatekeeper
Out of 2 % of births, South Korea has “unmarried” babies—wow, that’s tiny compared to the OECD’s ~41 %. A single woman can freeze eggs but cannot legally use a sperm donor or implant an embryo unless she’s married. One celebrity, Sayuri Fujita, had to jet back to Japan to find a donor, because here, the paperwork doesn’t allow it.
Professor Jung Jae‑hoon from Seoul Women’s University calls for change, noting marriage numbers are at a record low: 192,500 last year, 40 % down from 10 years ago. Even before the pandemic, the drop sits at 27 %.
He warns: “If we bar people who are willing to shoulder the cost of raising a baby, we’re just getting in the way of those who might actually do it.”
People’s Dilemma: No Kids, No Problem
- About 52 % of the country’s 20‑something cohort plans not to have children when married—a climb from only 29 % back in 2015.
- That’s a huge change in a decade, with younger generations saying, “Let’s not deal with that chaos.”
So what’s the bottom line? South Korea’s baby numbers are low, the cost of living is a nightmare, and the cultural rulebook says you need a husband before a kid. That’s why the egg‑freezing trend is booming—or as one quirky statistic at the end of a long survey might hint, we’re all just waiting for the perfect time to pop the question.
