Works in Progress Podcast Two is already too many: Why South Korean birth rates are so low
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Mar 6, 2026 A deep look at South Korea's dramatic fertility collapse and its global warning. Discussion of career–motherhood conflicts and brutal work culture that push women out of the workforce. Examination of costly parenting rituals, hagwon-driven education pressure, and the financial strain on families. Exploration of declining marriage, past antinatal policies, and whether policy can realistically reverse the trend.
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Career Motherhood Penalty Is Exceptionally High
- Having children imposes extreme career and earnings costs on South Korean women, driven by long work hours and employer pressure against motherhood.
- Mothers' employment drops 49% after childbirth and earnings fall 66% by a child's tenth birthday, far above US and Swedish penalties.
Rising Costs From Doljanji To Hagwons
- Parenting in South Korea is unusually resource-intensive, with lavish first-birthday doljanji parties and pervasive private tutoring.
- Nearly 80% attend hagwons and Seoul families spend up to a month's wages on a doljanji; average cost to age 18 is $275,000.
Collapse Of Marriage Deepens Fertility Drop
- Rapid decline in marriage magnifies fertility collapse because out-of-wedlock births are rare in Korea.
- Only 3% of Korean babies are born to unmarried parents, so falling marriage rates translate directly into fewer births.