38.1% of people in their 20s to 40s ”put work first” in South Korea survey, raising hopes for more women to join the workforce

A survey report released by the National Unity Committee revealed that 38.1% of South Koreans in their 20s to 40s consider work to be the most important aspect of their lives.
The report, titled "2040 Family and Labor Role Attitudes and Actual Situation Research," surveyed 2,690 men and women aged 25 to 44.
This is a summary of the results of an online survey conducted on the Elephant from January 31 to February 14 of this year. When asked about the importance of various issues facing adolescents, both men and women chose "work" as the most important issue.
" was the top answer (38.1%). This was followed by "Leisure, self-actualization, and other personal life" at 23.1%, "Love, marriage, and other partnerships" at 22%, and "Children" at 16.8%.
There were differences between men and women in terms of priorities outside of work. Women prioritized "work" (37.6%), "personal life" (24.5%), "partnership" (20.9%), and "children" (1
For men, the top reasons were "work" (38.6%), "partnership" (23.1%), "personal life" (21.7%), and "children" (16.6%).
Regardless of age or gender, work was perceived as the most important thing in almost all age groups, and children were considered the least important thing in all age groups except for women in their early 40s.
Regardless of whether they have children or not, there was a tendency for work to be a high priority. Among women with children aged 0 to 5, the ratios of "work" (30.6%) and "children" (29.1%) were almost equal.
Among men with children of the same age, "work" (35.2%) outnumbered "children" (25.6%). Regarding the meaning of work, 78% of all respondents answered, "I need to work to make a living."
When asked, "I want to work for the company as long as possible and retire feeling recognized," 62% agreed, and when asked, "I want to work more and be financially successful," 61.6% agreed.
On the other hand, 50.5% agreed with the statement, "I want to minimize the amount of work I do to earn a living and have enough free time for myself," and 50.5% agreed with the statement, "I want to work in a job that allows me to realize my potential, even if it is not a stable job."
Only 39.3% agreed with the statement that "women should participate in the labor market." On the issue of the need for women to participate in the labor market, around 80% of women and nearly 70% of men expressed a positive view.
Regarding the idea that it would have a negative impact on the family, both men and women were largely in the negative. With regard to the item regarding men's participation in housework and childcare, about 70-80% of both men and women showed a high level of agreement, especially in cases where both partners are working.
The survey revealed that men are actively involved in housework and child rearing. The majority of couples also have a positive view of coordinating income-earning activities for child rearing.
Regarding financial support and division of household chores between spouses, men tended to be more accepting than women of reducing the amount of housework required depending on the economic situation.
When asked about their perception of inequality between men and women in terms of participation in the workforce, housework, and childcare, respondents answered,
The most serious problems were "women's career interruption due to gender discrimination" (80.2%), "low participation of men in housework, childcare, and elderly care" (72.8%) and "segregation of occupations and professions by gender" (
The report states, "Now that both men and women are in high agreement about changes in gender roles, such as strengthening women's roles in the workplace and increasing men's participation in the home, it is time to move in this direction."
"It is time to maximize the effectiveness of policies that assume women will be full-time housewives," he said, adding, "Policies that assume women will be full-time housewives are losing their effectiveness, so it is essential to strengthen policy support that is based on women's participation in the labor market."
He proposed that: