• International Area Studies Review
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.215-235
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• 2018

Policy concerns related to raising fertility rates are not only common interests among the OECD countries, but they are also issues of great concern to South Korea whose fertility rate is the lowest in the world. The fertility rate in South Korea continues to decline, even though most of the national budget has been spent on measures to address this and many studies have been conducted on the increase in the fertility rates. In this regard, this study aims to verify the effectiveness of the detailed factors affecting the fertility rate that have been discussed in the previous studies on fertility rates, and to investigate the overall trend toward enhancing the quality of life and increasing the fertility rate through macroscopic and structural studies under the recognition of problems related to the policy approaches through the case studies of the European countries. Toward this end, this study investigated if a high quality of life in advanced countries contributes to the increase in the fertility rate, which country serves as a state model that has a high quality of life and a high fertility rate, and what kind of social and policy environment does the country have with regard to childbirth. The analysis of the OECD Better Life Index (BLI) and CIA fertility rate data showed that the countries whose people enjoy a high quality of life do not necessarily have high fertility rates. In addition, under the recognition that a country with a high quality of life and a high birth rate serves as a state model that South Korea should aim for, the social characteristics of Iceland, Ireland, and New Zealand, which turned out to have both a high quality of life and a high fertility rate, were compared with those of Germany, which showed a high quality of life but a low fertility rate. According to the comparison results, the three countries that were mentioned showed higher awareness of gender equality; therefore, the gender wage gap was small. It was also confirmed that the governments of these countries support various policies that promote both parents sharing the care of their children. In Germany, on the other hand, the gender wage gap was large and the fertility rate was low. In a related move, however, the German government has made active efforts to a paradigm shift toward gender equality. The fertility rate increases when the synergy lies in the relationship between parents and children; therefore, awareness about gender equality should be firmly established both at home and in the labor market. For this reason, the government is required to provide support for the childbirth and rearing environment through appropriate family policies, and exert greater efforts to enhance the effectiveness of the relevant systems rather than simply promoting a system construction. Furthermore, it is necessary to help people in making their own childbearing decisions during the process of creating a better society by changing the national goal from 'raising the fertility rate' to 'creating a healthy society made of happy families'

• Journal of Labour Economics
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• v.43 no.4
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• pp.143-177
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• 2020

This paper investigates how the provision of full child care subsidy to infants and toddlers differently affected female labor supply and fertility rate depending on the level of supply of child care centers in the place of residence. Our results on labor supply show that the higher the supply rate of childcare centers in residential areas, the higher the probability of career maintenance for multi-child mothers who are more likely to be admitted to a childcare facility. The results on the fertility rate show that the first child's fertility rate has increased since the support of childcare expenses in areas with higher rates of childcare centers. In the places where the supply rate of publicly-funded childcare centers is high, the second child's fertility rate has also increased significantly since the support of childcare expenses. This suggests that the quality of child care is an essential factor in determining the birth rate. Our results suggest that the effects of child care support on women's labor supply and fertility rate may differ depending on the priority of entering child care centers according to birth order and the degree of quantitative and qualitative supply of child care centers in the place of residence.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.39 no.3
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• pp.118-124
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• 2012

Objective: To review the outcomes of preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) using zona drilling with acid Tyrode's solution (chemical zona pellucida drilling, chemical ZD) and those of partial zona dissection (PZD). Methods: Clinical outcomes of seventy-one couples undergoing 85 PGD cycles from January 2005 to December 2010 were included. Blastocyst formation and the hatching rate, clinical pregnancy rate, ongoing pregnancy rate, implantation rate, and fetal gender ratio of the PZD and chemical ZD groups were compared. Results: Application of PZD resulted in a significantly higher rate of clinical pregnancy (40.7% vs. 15.4%, p=0.022), ongoing pregnancy (35.6% vs. 11.5%, p=0.023), and implantation (18.1% vs. 5.7%, p=0.007) compared with chemical ZD. Among non-transferred embryos, the rate of blastocyst formation on day 5 (49.1% vs. 39.5%, p=0.016) and hatching on day 6 (47.2% vs. 26.5%, p<0.001) were also significantly higher in the PZD group. Conclusion: The mechanical zona dissection (ZD) method showed better outcomes than chemical ZD in terms of the blastocyst development and pregnancy rate. In this study, the fact that chemical ZD was conducted in different period from mechanical method should be considered in interpreting the result.

• The Journal of the Convergence on Culture Technology
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• v.7 no.4
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• pp.607-612
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• 2021

This study estimated the impact of the shock of housing price increase on the total fertility rate and the contribution of each variable to changes in the TFR. This study is differentiated by estimating the contribution rate of each variable to the fertility rate through the Shapley decomposition and the panel VAR's forecast error variance decomposition, which previous studies have not attempted. The main results of this study are as follows. First, the decline in the TFR in Korea has been strongly influenced by the recent decline in the total fertility rate, and this influence is expected to continue in the future. In the case of housing costs, in the past, housing sales prices had a relatively small contribution to changes in the total fertility rate compared to the jeonse prices, but their influence is expected to increase in the long term in the future. It has been demonstrated that private education expenses other than housing sale price and Jeonse price also acted as a major cause of the decline in the total fertility rate.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.16 no.8
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• pp.59-70
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• 2016

This study aimed to find effective policies to cope with low birth rate in local authorities. It was analyzed the variables-a number of child-care facilities, paid parental leave, labor force participation, and total working hours-using panel analysis from 2005 to 2014. The results were as follows. First, after testing the whole years, we found that the fittest model was the fixed-effects model of 2 models(fixed-effects model, random effects model). A number of child-care facilities had positive effects, and a number of child-care facilities, and total working hours in women influenced negative effects on total fertility rate. Second, during the former time and the period of plan for low birth rate and aging society, a number of child-care facilities influenced negative effects on total fertility rate. Third, a number of child-care facilities had negative effects on total fertility rate in Busan, Daegu, and Kwangju. Paid parental leave influenced positively on total fertility rate in 5 cities and a province. Women's total working hours were a significant variable of total fertility rate in Jeju. This study found that the variables which influenced on total fertility rate were different by local authorities, and a number of child-care facilities and paid parental leave were very important variables on total fertility rate.

• Journal of the Korean Home Economics Association
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• v.44 no.11
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• pp.1-12
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• 2006

The purpose of this study was to examine how married women with a child perceived the low-fertility issue in order to increase the success of policy decisions for increasing the fertility rate and to present alternatives. The study subjects were 327 married women with a child who resided in Dongjak-gu, Seoul. After the survey was conducted, the collected data were analyzed with SPSS 11.5 program. The findings of the study were as follows. First, the married women who already had one child found it ideal to have two children. In fact, however, 36.4% had determined not to have another child, and only one parent wanted to have a second child in 26.9%. Second, they took a dismal view of the government's fertility encouragement policies, and they considered it necessary for the government to pursue a more down-to-earth measure. Third, economic aid for child rearing and education was identified as the most critical way to boost the childbirth rate. In conclusion, current national policies aimed at increasing the low-fertility rate are redundant if they are only designed to publicize government action. Actions need to be taken to assist married women in taking better advantage of the existing policies.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.558-567
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• 2016

In the case of France which was successful in improving the ultra-low fertility rates of birth and South Korea, from the late 1980s, the birth rate fell continuously. In 1994, total fertility rate fell 1.66, but thanks to the active family policy of the government in the mid 1990s, it grew and maintained 2.0 average since the year 2008 until now. This study examined carefully how France was not classified as advanced welfare state, overcame the obstacles of low fertility problem in the socio-economic and institutional side and trying to get some suggestions from South Korea in which it of such problems in the field of low fertility.

• Journal of Families and Better Life
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• v.23 no.2 s.74
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• pp.159-166
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• 2005

The purpose of this study was to understand the relationship between fertility rate and the women's employment experience in household having one child, to observe the effects of related personal factor, family factor and social factor. The sample population included 276 married women in the reproductive ages(25$\~$45 years old) which are no additional pregnant or delivery after the first child birth. The major findings of the research are as follows: First, it shows some relevance between the plan of child birth and the experience of women for employment. Specially, the married women experiencing discontinuance of employment become to have a plan and motivation about the second child birth. Second, the motivations of child birth in woman of lower fertility household are related to her age, the existence of young child, and the education. Thirdly, as a result of Logit analysis, they have the plan to deliver additionally after first child birth in case of younger age and higher educational achievement than Master degree.

• Korea journal of population studies
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.79-92
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• 1985

Fertility has been declined since 1966 (see Table 1). This fertility reduction was duely caused by age at first marriage, induced abortion and contraceptive practice which has been largely increased in recent years. Although tbe proximate determinant such as induced abortion, age at marriage and breastfeeding can and do have an effect on fertility, the principal cause of the reduction in fertility in Korea during the fertility transition can be supported by correlation between level of fertility and contraceptive prevalence (See Fig. 4). Taking a regression equation between fertility (TER. Y) and prevalence level (X), the total fertility rate in 1984 was estimated as 1.9 and 2.1 based on lenear and expotential function shown as follow; $Y_1$=5.709-0.0549 X and $Y_2$_______80________ 1+e2.433+0.017X ($R^2$=O. 93) ($R^2$=0. 96) Where $Y_1$ and $Y_2$ denote total fertility rates obtained through two equations respectivelly. The peak of contraceptive prevalence was assumdd as 80 percent which is almost upper limit in human society. On the other hand, an observed value of 1984 fertility level obtained from five month period shows 2.1 which is coincident with logistic fitting after the adjustment of response error assumed around 10 to 20 percent, At any rate, fertility of Korean women will have been reached replacement level (2.1) by 1985.Thus policy for family planning program must be reviewed toward the direction of integrated approach particularly with MCH program inasmuch as fertility in Korea has already shown population replacement level that require more good quality of service in family planning and their There must be an advanced level of fertility in Korea because wide use of contraception and induced life abortion and age at marriage will effect modern fertility which shows up and down trend between 2.1 and 1.5 in general.

• Korea journal of population studies
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.137-156
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• 2007

Total fertility rate (TFR) increased from the lowest 1.08 in 2005 to 1.13 in 2006, and a debate is made whether the increase is temporary or continuous as a result of various pro-natal policies. This study intends to explore policy implications revealed in recent fertility change using vital statistics. For this purpose, tempo-adjusted fertility rate by birth order, fertility rate by age of mother and birth order, age-specific fertility for married, and age-specific divorce rate for married are analyzed. The increase of TFR and births for 2006 is largely due to increase of first births at early thirties with slowdown of delayed first marriage and first child birth. The increase of female population (the third wave effect of baby boom) and first marriages of late twenties in 2006 and 2007 would lead to increase of fertility during 2007-2008. But further increase is uncertain because of the decrease trend of marital fertility and increase trend of never-married for twenties. TFRs for first and second births reduced rapidly, while TFRs for third and above births showed no changes, and second births were largely affected by tempo adjustment of fertility. Thus, constructing social environment for first and second births is more effective and necessary than encouraging third births. In addition, social responsibility of child care, child-women health issues due to delayed births, and the need for multi-cultural family support system are discussed.