More two-income families in Korea

A Statistics Korea survey released yesterday found that the number of two-income households surpassed single-income households, the first time the government has gathered comprehensive data on dual-income families.

Of the nation’s 11.62 million two-parent households, 5.07 million, or 43.6 percent, had two incomes as of June, a higher percentage than households with one income, 42.3 percent or 4.91 million households. The remaining 14.1 percent were households in which both spouses were unemployed or not economically active.

A 2009 survey conducted by a nongovernmental organization had found that 40.1 percent of households had two incomes.

Dual-income households were most common among spouses in their 40s and 50s, the Statistics Korea survey showed.

Of the 3.43 million households whose breadwinners were in their 40s, meanwhile, 52.1 percent of them had both spouses earning income. Likewise, among households with spouses in their 50s, 49.7 percent of them have two incomes. Among households with spouses in their 30s, who are usually more focused on raising children, 41.1 percent of them had two incomes.

Data also indicated that two-income households were more likely the bigger the household was.

The Statistics Korea survey also found that a fifth of the country’s women quit their jobs because of marriage or children. Out of 9.87 million married women between the ages of 15 and 54, 19.3 percent or 1.9 million women said they gave up their jobs because of marriage, pregnancy or other family-related reasons.

Marriage was the No. 1 reason they cited for quitting their jobs at 47 percent, followed by child rearing at 28.7 percent and childbirth at 20 percent.

By Lim Mi-jin [sarahkim@joongang.co.kr]