The Malaysian Insider

TOKYO, Nov 21 - If the already dismal birth rates in Japan and South Korea should sink further, the global financial crisis may be partly to blame.

Cuts in salaries and potential loss of jobs due to the global economic downturn are making many people in these two countries think twice about getting married.

The birth rates in Japan and South Korea were 1.34 and 1.2 respectively last year.

In South Korea, a survey last month of 2,500 adults by civic group Seoul Foundation of Women and Family showed that 85 per cent of respondents felt that marriage was no longer a priority.

Ironically, among the 2,500 respondents, about 1,500 are married while the rest are single.

When asked for his view on marriage, Park Seung Chol, 32, who took his nuptial vows six months ago, said: "I am the sole breadwinner and my job contract may not be renewed come end of the year.

"Now I worry about making ends meet. I should have delayed my marriage and saved up more money."

Because companies in South Korea are now freezing headcounts or retrenching staff, jobs are harder to come by or to hold on to.

With many Koreans therefore lacking a predictable source of future income, weddings have taken a hit.

"Although many Koreans like to get married in the autumn, my business has dropped by 20 per cent this year,' said Song Mi Hyun, 45, who runs a bridal gown agency.

The cost of a typical Korean wedding runs between five million won (RM12,500) and 20 million won, with some even going as high as 100 million won - no small change even in good times.

Setting up a matrimonial home is another big expense. Buying a home is out of the question for most newly-weds.

Rental for an apartment the size of an HDB three-room flat can cost one-third to half of the average monthly household income of 2.5 million won.

In Japan, which has slipped into a recession for the first time in seven years because of falling exports, many men are expected to put off thoughts about getting married.

Surveys in the past have shown that the eagerness of single Japanese men to get hitched falls during bad economic times.

Winter bonuses this year are expected to be shaved and many Japanese are likely to find their jobs threatened as the economic gloom sets in.

"Most men, particularly those in their 30s or older, still think it is their responsibility to provide financially for their wives. So the loss of income is a major deterrent to marriage," said Toshiaki Kato, a spokesman for O-net, Japan's largest matchmaking service.

But Japanese women apparently tend to think differently.

"In a bad economy, our experience is that working women these days often view marriage as a means of ensuring a stable life for themselves. They see themselves ending up as a dual-income family if they find the right man," said Kato.

"But it is harder to get our male customers to appreciate such a notion."

Economic gloom aside, in recent years, more and more Japanese are already putting off marriage.

A 2006 survey found that while 90 per cent of either sex said they hoped to get married eventually, nearly half also wanted to delay it as long as they could. - The Straits Times