Age at first marriage and fertility in Korea

Abstract

This thesis is an attempt to study the relation between age at first marriage and fertility of ever married women in Korea. The relation was analyzed chiefly according to birth intervals and under family planning. The data source is the 1974 Korean National Fertility Survey. Fertility in Korea has experienced a remarkable decline in a short period (last 15 years) which coincides with the period of intensive, public and private efforts in the promotion of family planning and rapid economic growth. As a result, the large differences in age at first marriage, fertility, and contraceptive practice, which existed between urban and rural areas, higher and lower levels of education, and non-agricultural and agricultural workers, are decreasing according to economic and social development, while at the same time, the structure of the Korean population is changing continuously. Although since 1962 contraception has become an important factor in determining fertility through achievement of preferred numbers and sex of children, age at first marriage in Korea is still a major determinant of the lowering of fertility. Increase in age at first marriage, with decline in proportions married, have contributed to the decline in marital fertility. The lengths of the birth intervals from the second birth tend to be equal among all of the age at first marriage groups. The mean number of children wanted and the mean ideal number of children decrease with the delay of age at first marriage. Moreover, Korean women generally use contraceptive methods to stop giving birth completely after having their ideal number and sex-composition of children, not to lengthen the interval between births. Also, the differences in current use of contraception by age at first marriage are not significant. In this context, the high age at first marriage in Korea means a smaller number of married women currently exposed to pregnancy and a shorter period of exposure. Show more