• International Journal of Advanced Culture Technology
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.62-71
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• 2024

The Study analyzed the effect of private education costs and housing prices on the total fertility rates in 16 metropolitan cities in Korea from 2009 to 2021, and estimated the contribution rates of each variable on the decrease in the total fertility rate. Using a dynamic panel data model considering the time series correlation of the total fertility rates, the total fertility rates for the year was positively (+) affected by the total fertility rates of the previous year, and the increase in apartment sales and Jeonse prices in the previous year reduced the total fertility rates. In addition, the increase in private education costs per capita in the previous year was analyzed to consistently reduce the total fertility rates.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.41 no.1
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• pp.9-14
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• 2014

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficiency of the intracytoplasmic morphologically selected sperm injection (IMSI) technique compared with conventional ICSI and previous ICSI attempts in oligo-astheno-teratozoospermia (OAT) patients. Methods: The sperms were selected under high magnification ($6,600{\times}$) and used to induce fertilization in previous ICSI patients by IMSI. These results were compared with previous conventional ICSI cycles in patients with OAT infertility. Results: These results demonstrated no significant difference in the fertilization rate between IMSI and previous ICSI cycles (67.7% vs. 65.0%). However, the pregnancy and implantation rates with IMSI were significantly higher than those of the ICSI cycles (33.3% vs. 12.5% and 14.6% vs. 5.4%, respectively; p<0.05). The miscarriage rate among pregnant patients (18.2% vs. 37.5%) showed no statistically significant difference between groups. Conclusion: Compared to conventional ICSI, this study found that IMSI increased the IVF-ET success rates in patients with OAT.

• Korean Journal of Human Ecology
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.29-40
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• 2004

The fertility rate of Korea has rapidly decreased to the lowest in the World. The fertility rate below replacement fertility level might result in many social problems. First, this study investigated the cause of low fertility rate. Second, the theories of the relationship between fertility rate and women's employment were reviewed. The previous studies suggested that the fertility rate was not always related to women's employment negatively and there was mediating factors between them. Third, the various factors that mediated the negative relationship between fertility rate and women's employment were described in personal, family and social levels. Finally, this study suggested the policies and strategies to solve the low fertility rate problem in Korea.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.203-209
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• 1974

This study is intended to comparison of the recent ideal number of children and atrial approach for analyzing value system for children that form attitude affecting birth control with earlier study conducted 10 years ago. In general the traditional fertility pattern of Korea may be considered as 'early marriage and high fertility' backed by the confucian value system of a farming-oriented country. A selective attitude favoring sons contributes substantially to fertility. But Korea is now moving toward a late marriage and fertility pattern. This has been due to the repid introduction of western culture and a partial acceptance of western value systems, a relative weakening of traditional value systems, a gradual increase in infant and child servival rates thresh medicines, and a desire to avoid having too many children because of economic poverty. This study showed following results: Ideal number of sons and daughters in urban area was decreased by 0.2 respectively compared to earlier study. In rural area, the number of decrease of sons and daughters was 0.5 and 0.2 respectively. The conception concerning Happiness has changed to wealth from health in previous opinion. Regarding attitude toward having sons, 98 percent of them wanted to have sons positively, moreover 10 percent of them wanted two or more sons. Regarding reasons for the wanting sons, we see that economic and traditional considerations, such as dependance in old age, and inheritance of the family line, are a principle concern of about 56 percent in both areas. The rate of dependence in old age was decreased conspicuously compare to previous study while the rate of helding rituals was increased remarkably in rural area. Among reasons for limiting family size. 'for better living and for better education for their children were main rasons reted 46 percent in urban, 51 percent in rural areas. The rates were not changed compare to previous study. Regarding attitude of those who have no son or children, the rate of re-marriage with second wife was decreased remarkably in rural area and the rate of living without special behaivor for having son was increased compare to previous study.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.20 no.8
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• pp.251-261
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• 2020

This study aims to suggest a new perspective that can account for variations in fertility rates across OECD countries. Most previous literature has highlighted the influence of government policies on fertility rates. This study focuses the role of job strain, unequal division of household labor, and life satisfaction on fertility rates. These factors are related to work-life balance, and play a crucial role in understanding variations in fertility rates across OECD countries. Using fuzzy set qualitative comparative research analysis (fsQCA), this study tests whether fertility rates can be explained by differences in the levels of job strain, gender equality at home, and life satisfaction across countries. The results are as follows: First, high fertility-countries show low levels of job strain, equal division of household labor, high levels of life satisfaction, and high levels of GDP. Second, a high level of GDP is not crucial for achieving high fertility rates. This study suggests that changes in working conditions and organizational culture are required to increase the fertility rate in Korea, since this can influence work-life balance, life satisfaction and equal division of household labor.

• Toxicological Research
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.167-174
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• 2002

Historical control data have been shown to be valuable in the proper interpretation and validation of reproductive toxicology studies. The present data were compiled from rat fertility and early embryonic development studies conducted at Korea Institute of Toxicology during the 1994∼2001 period. These data were assembled in order to provide background information for the general and reproductive data collected in 11 fertility and early embryonic development studies using Sprague-Dawley rats obtain-ing from the Breeding Facility, Korea Institute of Toxicology, Korea. A total of 274 males and 274 females were used in these studies during the eight-year period. Parameters of fertility and early embryonic development included clinical sign, body weights, food consumption, organ weights, estrus cycle, copulation index, precoital time, fertility index, pregnancy index, sperm parameters, and early embryonic development parameters. Most of the values were comparable to the previous historical control data reported by other investigators. These data can be wed not only as a historical data base for the meaningful interpretation of data from reproductive and developmental toxicity studies, but also as a contribution to biological characterization of Sprague-Dawley rats.

• Asian Journal for Public Opinion Research
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.200-229
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• 2022

The purpose of this study is to analyze the effects of youth job policy measures, set forth in Korea's 2016-2020 Third Basic Plan for Low Fertility and Aging Society (December 2015), on marriage and fertility among young people. Based on the results, we provide theoretical explanations for the findings and suggest policy alternatives to overcome the low fertility phenomenon in Korea. Previous studies have shown that employment is an important factor for marriage among youth, and a job policy could increase marriage and fertility rates. To test this assumption, we performed an exact matching between Statistics Korea's Employee-Enterprise Linkage DB and the Newlyweds DB from 2011 to 2019, in order to identify all young people aged 15-34. Then, linear spline regression analysis was used to examine the impact of the youth job policy on marriage and fertility. Comparing the period before the implementation of the employment policy (2011-2015) and after (2016-2019), the fertility rate increased as the number of young people looking for work increased. In addition, it was found that these impacts were greater after the implementation of the measures (2016-2019) than before (2011-2015). It is interesting to note that job growth among young people did not lead to an increase in marriage. However, the number of births significantly increased when young people who occupy jobs got married, which seems to be related to the delay in marriage among young people who are employed. Survey results about the intentions to marry and views on fertility are utilized for the explanation of the study results.

• KDI Journal of Economic Policy
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.105-138
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• 2009

Although the decline in fertility rate is generally observed along the history of economic development throughout the world, the continuing decline hitting below the replacement level in Korea over the recent years gathered serious social concerns on the ground that it accelerates the process of population aging. The total fertility rate in Koreareached 2.08 in 1983, and gradually fell to the levels of 1.08 in 2005 and 1.26 in 2007. The policy debate over the role of the government has been focused mainly on the level of theoretical discussion without substantial basis on firm empirical evidence and the determinants of fertility. The objective of the paper is to empirically investigate the fertility effect of the female wage, which is understood as one of the most important determinants of fertility in Koreasince 1980 focusing on one aspect of fertility, namely birth spacing. Using the Korean National Fertility Survey conducted in 2006, I estimate a duration model of first and second births taking into account individual heterogeneity, which turned out to be an important factor to control for. Compared with previous studies in the literature on the Korean fertility, the study has an advantage of using the complete pregnancy history of women in a more representative sample. Unlike the previous studies, the analysis also deals with the endogeneity of marriage by treating a certain age, rather than age at marriage, as the time in which a woman becomes exposed to the risk of pregnancy. The study shares the common problem in the literature on birth spacing of lacking relevant wage information for respondents in a retrospective survey. I estimate the wage series as a function of the basic characteristics using the annual Wage Structure Survey from 1980 to 2005, which is considered as a nationally representative sample for wage information of employees. The results suggest that the increase in female wage by 10 percent leads to a decrease in second birth hazard by 0.56~0.92 percentage points and that the increase in spouse's wage by the equal amount is accompanied by the increase in second birth hazard by 0.36~1.13 percentage points. These estimates are more precisely estimated and of smaller magnitude than those presented by the previous studies. The results are robust to the different specifications of the wage equation. The simulation analysis based on the predicted values shows that about 17% of the change in the second birth hazard over the period 1980 to 2005 was due to the change in the female wage. Although there is some limitation in data, the results can be viewed as one estimate of the role of female wage on the recent fertility decline in Korea. The question raised by the paper is not a normative one of whether a government should promote childbearing but a positive one thatexplains fertility decline. Therefore, if there is a wide consensus on promoting childbearing, the finding suggests that the policies designed to reduce the opportunity cost of women in the labor market would be effective. The recent movement of implementing a wide range of family-friendly policies including child care support, maternity leave, parental leave and tax benefit in developed countries should be understood in this context.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.200-206
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• 2018

Background: To evaluate whether ${\geq}3$ adjunct acupuncture sessions accompanying embryo transfer, increases the chance of pregnancy amongst post-myomectomy women aged ${\geq}35$ years. Methods: This was a prospective study carried out at Nordica Fertility Center. Following written informed consent, 75 patients undergoing assisted reproduction therapy and who had good quality embryos, were age-matched and grouped into post-myomectomy (n = 24) and normal women who had no evidence of fibroids or previous myomectomy (n = 51). Between 1 and 3 sessions of acupuncture were performed on 6 post-myomectomy and 19 infertile women who had not undergone myomectomy, while > 3 acupuncture sessions were performed on 18 post-myomectomy and on 32 normal patients, approximately 25 minutes before and after embryo transfer. Results: A positive pregnancy test was defined as ultrasonographic evidence indicating presence of a fetal sac 6 weeks after embryo transfer. Of the 5 post-myomectomy women who were pregnant, only 1 (20.0%) received 1-3 adjunct acupuncture sessions whilst the remaining 4 (80.0%) received > 3 acupuncture sessions. Of the 11 normal pregnant women, 5 (45.4%) received 1-3 adjunct acupuncture sessions while 6 (54.5%) received > 3 adjunct acupuncture sessions. Conclusion: Pregnancy rates in infertile post-myomectomy women may be improved by > 3 adjunct acupuncture sessions.

• The Journal of the Convergence on Culture Technology
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• v.7 no.4
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• pp.607-612
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• 2021

This study estimated the impact of the shock of housing price increase on the total fertility rate and the contribution of each variable to changes in the TFR. This study is differentiated by estimating the contribution rate of each variable to the fertility rate through the Shapley decomposition and the panel VAR's forecast error variance decomposition, which previous studies have not attempted. The main results of this study are as follows. First, the decline in the TFR in Korea has been strongly influenced by the recent decline in the total fertility rate, and this influence is expected to continue in the future. In the case of housing costs, in the past, housing sales prices had a relatively small contribution to changes in the total fertility rate compared to the jeonse prices, but their influence is expected to increase in the long term in the future. It has been demonstrated that private education expenses other than housing sale price and Jeonse price also acted as a major cause of the decline in the total fertility rate.