Title: South Korea: High cost of childbirth forces young people to give up, Oxford expert's prediction has now come true, a real dilemma in a demographic crisis!
South Korea, once one of the "Asian Tigers", is now drifting away under the shadow of a demographic crisis. In 2006, a professor at the University of Oxford boldly predicted that South Korea could become "the world's first country to disappear." Time flies, and now this prophecy is being verified one by one.
I remember back in 2006 that I scoffed at this prophecy as nothing more than an alarmist hype. However, the current facts have forced me to re-examine this issue. South Korea's fertility rate continues to be the best, and young people's concept of marriage and childbearing has changed dramatically. What was once a tradition of "two births and stopping" is now seen as a heavy burden by young people. **In order to cope with the demographic crisis, it has come to the point of openly matching young people on a blind date, which makes people sigh.
In fact, this phenomenon is not sudden, but a gradual process. The proportion of young people in South Korea peaked in 1990 and has been declining every year since. 21. in 20155%, and in 2020, it fell to 204%。According to this trend, the proportion of young people in South Korea will fall to 11% by 2050. Faced with this situation, ** is eager to promote childbearing, but young people have lost interest in marriage and childbearing.
One of the root causes behind this phenomenon is the high cost of childbirth. Although South Korea has one of the highest cost of childbirth in the world, the effect of childbirth support policies is not satisfactory. Especially in some remote areas, it is difficult for residents to enjoy the best subsidies, and it is difficult to reduce the cost burden of childbirth. In South Korea, the cost of raising a child from birth to age 18 is seven times the country's GDP per capita, a staggering figure on a global scale.
Secondly, the continuous rise in housing prices has also directly led to the discouragement of young people from having children. From 2000 to the present, South Korea's housing prices have shown a continuous growth trend, and in 2021, it will increase at 261 has the highest house-price-to-income ratio among the world's major developed economies. House, as a real estate, has always been the goal of young people. However, as housing prices continue to climb, young people are forced to postpone their decision to have children and devote limited resources to buying a home.
And the policy adjustment of ** has also affected the birth rate of South Korea to a certain extent. In the 60s of the last century, South Korea's population growth rate was as high as 2 percent9。However, in order to control population growth, ** began to advocate "fewer births and better births", and influenced the people's conception of fertility through various propaganda means. It was not until 1971 that the propaganda of ** continued to increase, and finally achieved the desired effect. However, in the mid-to-late 90s, as the fertility rate continued to decline, the policy was relaxed again, but this time it did not work out, and South Korea's fertility rate remained sluggish.
Ageing is also an important factor in the ostomy crisis. According to the United Nations, when a country's elderly population aged 65 and above exceeds 7% of the total population, it means that the country has entered an "aging society". As of November last year, the number of elderly people over the age of 65 in South Korea has reached 90460,000 people, of which 21 are one-person households8%, an all-time high. The further intensification of aging will lead to a decrease in the birth rate, a decrease in the social labor force, an intensification of competition for talents, an increase in pension pressure, and a further increase in the social and economic burden.
South Korea is also facing difficulties in hiring workers, increasing demand for top talent, and high pressure on young people to find employment, all of which indicate that South Korea is facing a serious crisis today. By the end of 2021, South Korea's population had reached 5,17380,000, but the Statistics Office estimates that by 2070, this number could shrink to 37.66 million, and the working population will also shrink from 37 million to 17 million. This makes one wonder whether the Oxford expert Coleman's prediction is alarmist or is about to come true
In the face of this worrying situation, China, as a neighbor of the ROK, should also attach great importance to it. The two countries have close ties in the economic and cultural fields, and the population issue of the ROK is not only the ROK's own problem, but also an important factor in regional stability and cooperation. While the times are developing rapidly and the economy is growing rapidly, whether we should also seriously think about this key issue. Otherwise, the prophecy of this expert from Oxford will only become a terrible fact. In the case of pessimism, we must also find possible ways to solve this problem and jointly deal with it. After all, we are all partners in this coming storm.
This situation reminds one of the similarities that China faced with a similar demographic problem decades ago. However, China has risen to the challenge in the tide of reform and opening up, and has adopted a series of active birth policies, such as the implementation of the one-child policy and the promotion of late marriage and late childbearing. To a certain extent, these measures have contributed to social and economic stability and development. In contrast, South Korea** seems to have failed to deal effectively with the demographic problem, and the problems left behind have gradually evolved into the dire situation it is today.
Although China's one-child policy caused some controversy in the early days of its implementation, it played a positive role in the adjustment of the population structure and social and economic development. ** Through the implementation of family planning, the population has been effectively controlled, and a more relaxed environment has been created for the country's marriage and family system. In single-child families, because there are relatively few children, family education and resource allocation are more concentrated, and children can get a better education and growth environment, and are more likely to make greater contributions to society.
China has also taken proactive measures in the face of an aging population, such as the implementation of the "double care leave" policy to encourage children to provide more care for the elderly. The introduction of this policy will help alleviate the pressure of social pension brought about by the increase in the elderly population, and form a virtuous circle of family and social care. At the same time, we are also actively promoting the development of the pension service industry, encouraging all sectors of society to participate in the care and service of the elderly, and forming an atmosphere of common concern and care for the elderly in the whole society.
In terms of employment and employment, China has also taken a series of measures to ensure that young people have more opportunities in society. By promoting industrial upgrading and increasing support for the innovation and technology industry, China has not only created more job opportunities, but also stimulated young people's enthusiasm for entrepreneurship. At the same time, China** has also increased investment in education, improved the level of talent training, and provided more development possibilities for young people.
Looking back at South Korea, can we draw some lessons from China's experience in the face of the population problem?Here are a few suggestions: First, we can reduce the cost of childbearing and encourage young couples to have children by providing more comprehensive fertility support measures. Secondly, we can formulate more flexible policies on the issue of aging, and jointly take care of the elderly through socialized means to reduce the burden of the elderly. At the same time, we will strengthen the development of the job market, provide more opportunities for young people, and encourage them to contribute to social development.
On this issue, perhaps we can draw some lessons from China's experience. At that time, China also faced a huge population problem, but through proactive policy adjustment and social reform, it successfully achieved the control and optimization of the population problem. As neighbors, we should not turn a blind eye to South Korea's demographic problems, but can contribute to our mutual progress through policy exchanges and experience sharing.
Overall, the population issue is a serious social challenge that requires the cooperation of all sectors of society and individuals. By learning from China's experience, South Korea may be able to find some effective solutions to the demographic crisis. This is also a direction in which China and South Korea can strengthen cooperation in the future sustainable development and jointly address this serious social problem. May we work together to create a more prosperous and harmonious society for the future.