• Korea journal of population studies
• /
• v.32 no.1
• /
• pp.139-164
• /
• 2009

The first demographic transition refers to the historical decline in mortality and fertility, as shown from the 18th Century in several European populations, and continuing present in most developing countries. The end point of the first demographic transition(FDT) was supposed to be a stationary and stable population corresponding with replacement fertility and zero population growth. In addition, households in all parts of the world would converge toward the nuclear and conjugal types, composed of married couples and their offspring. The second demographic transition(SDT), on the other hand, sees no such equilibrium as the end-point. Rather, new developments bring sub-replacement fertility, a multitude of living arrangements other than marriage, and the disconnection between marriage and procreation. Populations would face declining sizes if not complemented by new migrants. Over the last decades birth rates have been on the decline in all countries of the world, and it is estimated that already more than half of he world's population has below replacement level fertility. Measured in terms of the Total Fertility Rate (TFR), currently 34 countries have fertility levels of 1.5 or less. Similarly, Korea has been below lowest-low fertility for eight consecutive years since 2001 and below the replacement level for more than twenty years. In explaining the low fertility in Korea, some researchers explain the low fertility as revenge against a male-dominated society and institution, while others focus the impact of the employment instability. These studies share the basic ideas (spread of individualism, delayed marriage and childbearing, high divorce rate etc.) of a second demographic transition in order to explain the low fertility in Korea.

• Proceedings of the Population Association of Korea Conference
• /
• 2006.12a
• /
• pp.131-152
• /
• 2006

This study examines the causal mechanisms of low fertility and regional differentials in Korea. Utilizing the 2005 census and the 2005 vital statistics, and labor statistics at the regional level, major variables were calculated for administrative units of 234 'Gu's, 'Si's and 'Gun's. Gender equity orientation, labor market insecurity and family formation were hypothesized as key factors of recent decline in Korean fertility. This study first presents four maps of gender equity orientation, labor market insecurity, family formation and fertility. Then ANOVA and path analysis were carried out in an effort to generalize the causal mechanisms. Results of analysis reveal that gender equity orientation has played a central role in the second fertility transition in Korea. In metropolitan regions, however, labor market insecurity is found to have a significant influence on the level of family formation and fertility. Family formation also turns out to be an important intermediate variable of fertility.

• Human Ecology Research
• /
• v.53 no.1
• /
• pp.49-66
• /
• 2015

This study analyzes the effects of women's labour force participation and work-family reconciliation support on life-cycle fertility in Korea. The analysis is based on the longitudinal data from Korean Labour and Income Panel Study (KLIPS), which include the available information on life-cycle fertility and employment history. Employing a dynamic model of fertility, we estimated the life-cycle fertility of all the 15-49 years old women considered in this study by using a duration model. The major results of this study were as follows: First, women's labour force participation had a negative effect on the first birth, second birth, and all births (transition to births starting at different parities). Women's employment tended to lengthen the interval between births. Second, the availability of maternal leave had a positive effect on the first birth and all births for working women. Providing maternal leave to working women decreased the opportunity cost of childbearing and in turn, reduced the interbirth interval of women. However, the availability of parental leave had no significant effect on the births of working women. Third, the financial support for childcare had a positive effect on the first birth and all births. The economic support for childcare led to the reduction in the interbirth interval of women by increasing the probability of births. The use of a childcare center for the first child, which substitutes for the time that women needed to take care of their children, classified as time-intensive consumption goods, did not have any effect on the second birth. Fourth, the part-time employment of women had a positive effect on the second birth. A flexible working time schedule tended to decrease the interval between the first and the second births.

• Korea journal of population studies
• /
• v.29 no.2
• /
• pp.89-113
• /
• 2006

Over the past four decades reproductive behavior has changed rapidly in much of the developing countries. The average total fertility rate has fallen by half from six or more to near three today. Between 1960 and 2000 the largest fertility decline occurred in Asia and Latin America. The mortality rate has also decreased in most developing countries. The purpose of this study is to review the pattern and characteristic of demographic transition in developing countries. At first, this study focuses on the regional fertility and mortality transition. Africa, the total fertility rate is still high, can be match to the second stage of demographic transition. Similar case is found in Southern West Asia areas. However, the fertility rate has therd stage of demographic transition. The same pattern is found in Latin America. The mortality rate has also decreased in most of developing countries. It is interesting to find that there is a clear difference among developing countries. In terms of crude death rate, Latin American countries show the lowest rate. while African countries remain still high rate. About mortality, African countries show a high level in terms of both crude death rate and infant mortality rate. African countries also show the lowest level of life expectancy in the world. One of the reasons for low level of life expectancy in Africa is the widespread of AIDS in this areas. This study suggests that we should include 'AIDS' in the study of mortality in African countries.

• The Korean Journal of Applied Statistics
• /
• v.28 no.4
• /
• pp.685-701
• /
• 2015

The low fertility rate and the unprecedented rapid pace of population aging is a significant factor degrading the national competitiveness and the social security system of Korea. The government has implemented various maternity incentives to alleviate the low birth problem; however, the policy seems in effective to solve the problem of low fertility. This study proposes a conditional birth-order specific fertility rate and investigates the policy effects of fertility transition in Korea to provide a basis for more effective policy development. The use of a conditional birth-order specific fertility rate allows for an effective calculation of the change and the effect in total fertility rate than a birth-order specific fertility rate. We compare the effects of the total fertility rate according to various scenarios that enables us to calculate how the total fertility rate can achieve the current multi-child childbirth support policy of the government and estimate how the total fertility rate can be achieved when focusing on the first or second childbirth support policy. We also summarize the research results on policy development for a practical increase in the childbirth that considers the rapid decrease in women of childbearing age (15-49 years) due to continued low fertility and present the number of childbirths in accordance with the total fertility rate.

• Proceedings of the Population Association of Korea Conference
• /
• 2006.12a
• /
• pp.59-87
• /
• 2006

This paper explores the effects of the 1997 economic crisis on the pattern of socioeconomic differentials in fertility. Based on analysis of data from the 2003 Korea National Fertility Survey, this study focuses on recent changes in the level of fertility according to socioeconomic status of the couple including educational level, occupation, working status, income, etc. Results reveal that the level of fertility of those with the highest education, most prestigious occupation, and employer status are higher than those of the next group in the socioeconomic hierarchy. These findings imply that the straight line inverse pattern of socioeconomic differentials in CEB yielded to a reversed J-shaped curve. However, recent differentials of fertility after the economic crisis were found to contrast with the pattern above. Decrease in fertility has been most drastic among those with a high level of fertility, and relatively slow for those with a low level of fertility. The level of recent fertility turns out to be highest among those with upper-middle socioeconomic status, followed by those with the highest socioeconomic status and those with the lowest status. Policy implications and some comments on current population policies of the Korean government are also presented in this paper.

• Human Ecology Research
• /
• v.60 no.1
• /
• pp.147-162
• /
• 2022

Although the globally known one-child policy in China was abolished in 2016, the overall fertility rate in the country declined to 1.3 in 2020. In this study, we examined whether the achievement of major developmental tasks during the childrearing stage was associated with intentions to have a second child among Chinese married women. Based on family development theory, we included parenting adaptation, division of childcare responsibilities with the partner, and marital adjustment as key developmental tasks during the childrearing stage. The participants of this study were 315 married Chinese women who lived with a spouse and a child who had not yet entered elementary school. Data were collected through an online survey in February and March 2021. A multiple regression analysis of the data revealed that a lower level of economic parenting stress, a higher level of fairness in dividing childcare responsibilities with the partner, and a more positive change in their marital relationship after having the first child were associated with greater intentions to have a second child.

• Korea journal of population studies
• /
• v.35 no.1
• /
• pp.151-179
• /
• 2012

This study investigates birth cohort and educational differences in the marital and fertility life course using the Hernes model. First, lifetime marriage rates remain high across birth cohorts but men in the youngest birth cohort(1965-74) experience a somewhat significant reduction in ever-marriage rates. Second, this study also finds educational differences in lifetime marriage rates across birth cohorts. The likelihood of being never married is particularly high for poorly educated men in the youngest birth cohort but women show the opposite pattern. Third, quantum changes in the fertility transition are more likely to be the changes in higher-order births, while the changes in first and second births are mainly tempo changes. Fourth, the negative association between education and fertility is significantly larger for higher-order births. Finally, marriage and fertility show the opposite pattern in their association with education. Overall, educational differences in lifetime marriage rates become stronger across birth cohorts but the association between education and higher-order births shows the opposite pattern.

• The Journal of the Convergence on Culture Technology
• /
• v.8 no.3
• /
• pp.1-8
• /
• 2022

In Korea, in the process of transition from a rural society to an industrial society, the opportunities for women's economic participation increased relatively. As a result, the marriage age of women increased, and it was recognized that the economic opportunity cost of married women and their participation in economic activities lead to low birthrates. In particular, it is time for an empirical analysis to determine whether workplace types affect the fertility rate. To this end, we analyzed the effect of workplace type on fertility using the labor panel data from 2003 to 2018. The results are as follows. A statistically significant negative relationship was drawn when unemployed women were compared with women employed in the private sector. However, there was no statistically significant effect when comparing unemployed women with women working in the public sector.

• Journal of the Korean Geographical Society
• /
• v.49 no.5
• /
• pp.728-746
• /
• 2014

The purpose of this study is to analyze the influence of the selective migration of young age group and the stage migration which has proceeded through generations, on the transition of fertility and the population growth in the rural and urban in the case of Jeollabuk-do. For this, we use O-D matrix of 20-34 age group, the distribution of that group and women of child bearing age, and vital statistics in 1970-2010. The major findings of this study are as follows. First, the outflows from their birth place are common and dominant features of 20-34 age group in each time. Second, there is the stage migration which preceding generation moved from the rural areas to the cities in Jeollabuk-do and following generation has moved from the cities to Seoul metropolitan area. Third the selective outflow migration of young age group has leaded to reduction of the childbearing population, declining birthrate, aging and natural population decline. Due to the stage migration, these depopulation processes occurred in rural area in the past, and currently it expands to the cities with about 15 years time gap. In fact, there have been the natural population decrease which annual number of deaths exceed that of births from the late 1980s in the most rural areas and in the early 2000s, such a phenomenon has been confirmed also in urban areas. Therefore, this study concludes that the stage migration through generations is one of the crucial factor to the population growth in local cities and also brings out the step-wise population decrease in settlement hierarchies.