Contrary to expectations, last year saw an increase in the number of marriages and a major drop in the number of divorces. Is it that there have been big changes in the situation that was leading to worries of the "dissolution of the family"? The ratio of marriages compared to the population has steadily decreased since 1994, but last year there was an increase. Divorce, on the other hand, turned around and decreases since the first time since the same year.
If you look at the statistics the reason circumstances are clear. There has been a significant increase in remarriages and marriages to foreigners. First marriages continue to decrease. Women are the ones remarrying at a faster rate. There is a persistent rise in the number of marriages where the couple is of the same age or the woman is older. Marriage is becoming more diverse.
The fact that marriages to foreigners is increasing is a reflection of change in our society, with a rapid increase in the number of foreign residents. Last year there were 6,380 marriages between Korean men and foreign women. Women with Chinese citizenship accounted for the largest group of foreign women, and the second largest group was Vietnamese, 75 percent more than in 2003. As can be seen by the signs you see posted around "Marry a Vietnamese Maiden!", the thriving "marriage industry" has played no small role. It would seem that society needs to be prepared to help people overcome the difficulties of marriages to foreigners.
It is clearly worth noticing when the divorce rate was 16.6 percent after persistently increasing, recording the largest decrease since the government started keeping statistics on it. The National Statistical Office's (NSO) analysis is that the decrease is the result of a social atmosphere where people are refraining from divorce because of the knowledge that the divorce rate is increasing. Maybe it is the result of people experiencing the fact that leaving unhappy marriages through divorce does not necessarily lead to positive results.
More marriage and less divorce cannot be said to be by definition a good thing. What is important is the happiness of everyone in society. Korean society needs to be ready for rapid social change.
The Hankyoreh, 30 March 2005.
[Translations by Seoul Selection (PMS)]
[Editorial] More Marriage, Less Divorce |
