Many adults in South Korea have chosen either not to have children or not to marry. Similar things are happening in other developed countries, but many consider South Korea’s population crisis severe. A South Korean government agency announced in September that the total fertility rate reached 0.81 last year. The total fertility rate is the average number of babies born to each woman in their reproductive years. South Korea’s fertility rate has been the world’s lowest for three years now. The population decreased for the first time in 2021. It raised concerns for severe damage to the economy. Some observers expect labor shortages and high spending on retirement payments as the number of older people increases while the number of taxpayers decreases. President Yoon Suk Yeol has ordered policymakers to find better ways to deal with the problem. The fertility rate, he said, is still decreasing although South Korea spent $210 billion over the past 16 years to increase it. Many young South Koreans say that, unlike their parents and grandparents, they do not feel an obligation to have a family. Reasons some say for not having children include: a difficult job market, costly housing, inequality between the sexes, and social inequality. Some also say the high cost of raising children in a competitive society is a reason. Some women say men expect them to do much of the childcare while they face discrimination at work.
Title: South Korea in Population Crisis as Many Stop Having Babies
Content: <div id='article-page'><div id='article-content' data-media-url='//news-app-staging.s3.amazonaws.com' data-base-url='//news-app-staging.herokuapp.com' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5721/A2.wav' data-capture-url='//staging.analytics.lingraphica.com/events/capture_news' data-article-title='South Korea in Population Crisis as Many Stop Having Babies' data-article-id='6324'><script src='//news-app-staging.herokuapp.com/javascripts/getscripts.js'></script><link rel='stylesheet' href='//news-app-staging.herokuapp.com/stylesheets/article.css' type='text/css' /><div class='article'><p><span data-start-time='0' data-end-time='9979'>Many adults in South Korea have chosen either not to have children or not to marry. </span> <span data-start-time='9979' data-end-time='22646'>Similar things are happening in other developed countries, but many consider South Korea’s population crisis severe.</span> <span data-start-time='22646' data-end-time='35625'>A South Korean government agency announced in September that the total fertility rate reached 0.81 last year. </span> <span data-start-time='35625' data-end-time='46021'>The total fertility rate is the average number of babies born to each woman in their reproductive years. </span> <span data-start-time='46021' data-end-time='54625'>South Korea’s fertility rate has been the world’s lowest for three years now.</span> <span data-start-time='54625' data-end-time='61458'>The population decreased for the first time in 2021. </span> <span data-start-time='61458' data-end-time='67500'>It raised concerns for severe damage to the economy. </span> <span data-start-time='67500' data-end-time='85417'>Some observers expect labor shortages and high spending on retirement payments as the number of older people increases while the number of taxpayers decreases.</span> <span data-start-time='85417' data-end-time='96104'>President Yoon Suk Yeol has ordered policymakers to find better ways to deal with the problem. </span> <span data-start-time='96104' data-end-time='111646'>The fertility rate, he said, is still decreasing although South Korea spent $210 billion over the past 16 years to increase it.</span> <span data-start-time='111646' data-end-time='124104'>Many young South Koreans say that, unlike their parents and grandparents, they do not feel an obligation to have a family. </span> <span data-start-time='124104' data-end-time='139146'>Reasons some say for not having children include: a difficult job market, costly housing, inequality between the sexes, and social inequality.</span> <span data-start-time='139146' data-end-time='147875'>Some also say the high cost of raising children in a competitive society is a reason. </span> <span data-start-time='147875' data-end-time='157854'>Some women say men expect them to do much of the childcare while they face discrimination at work.</span> </p></div><div class='control-buttons-sticky' style='display:none;'><div class='control-buttons'><button title='Back' class='back' disabled='disabled'></button><button title='Play' class='play' disabled='disabled'></button><button title='Pause' class='pause' style='display:none;'></button><button title='Forward' class='forward' disabled='disabled'></button><button class='finished-reading' style='display:none;'>Done</button></div></div></div><div id='article-media'><div id='media-image'><img src='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5721/A2.jpeg'/></div></div><div id='question-content' style='display:none;'><div class='vocabulary_question question-container' data-question-id=19075 data-hint-location='111646' style='display:none;'><div class='question' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5721/which_of_the_following_is_a_definition_of_the_word_obligation.wav'>Which of the following is a definition of the word obligation?</div><div class='choices' data-correct-choice='a duty or commitment'><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5721/a_duty_or_commitment.wav'><span>a duty or commitment</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5721/a_job_or_profession.wav'><span>a job or profession</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5721/a_figure_of_speech_in_which_apparently_contradictory_terms_appear_in_conjunction.wav'><span>a figure of speech in which apparently contradictory terms appear in conjunction</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5721/an_extended_period_of_leisure_and_recreation.wav'><span>an extended period of leisure and recreation</span></div></div></div><div class='multiple_choice_question question-container' data-question-id=19076 data-hint-location='124104' style='display:none;'><div class='question' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5721/which_of_the_following_was_not_listed_as_a_reason_young_south_koreans_are_not_having_children.wav'>Which of the following was not listed as a reason young South Koreans are not having children?</div><div class='choices' data-correct-choice='avocado toast'><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5721/avocado_toast.wav'><span>avocado toast</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5721/difficult_job_market.wav'><span>difficult job market</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5721/costly_housing.wav'><span>costly housing</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5721/inequality.wav'><span>inequality</span></div></div></div><div class='sentence_completion_question question-container' data-question-id=19077 data-hint-location='54625' style='display:none;'><div class='question' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5721/the_population__blank__for_the_first_time_in_2021_.wav'>The population <span class='blank'>decreased</span> for the first time in 2021. </div><div class='choices' data-correct-choice='decreased'><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5721/decreased.wav'><span>decreased</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5721/creased.wav'><span>creased</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5721/demeaned.wav'><span>demeaned</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5721/crisped.wav'><span>crisped</span></div></div></div><div class='question-buttons'><button 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