In some parts of the world, schools have been overflowing with too many students to enroll. In other parts of the world, there are no students.

In 2024, over 150 South Korean elementary schools will find themselves with zero new students. Or as Korean reporters put it, “accelerating the path to national population extinction.” South Korea now holds the world’s lowest fertility rate, with the average number of children per woman dropping to 0.72, way below the replacement rate of 2.1.

However, instead of blaming South Korean women for not giving birth, we should ask: why should they? In a society where females are submerged in intensive demands from economic independence, relentless working hours and caregiving duties, South Korean women have begun to stand up and redefine their worth—far past marriage, motherhood, and outdated expectations.

As birth rates plummet to unprecedented lows, the world has condemned them for their lack of female virtue, looking on them with concern. However, to me, the decline is not necessarily a crisis—rather, it is a strong act of defiance and resistance, a radical, audacious call to reform the system.

Image Credit: Danilyuk from Pexels

Beneath the Dropping Birth Rates: A Structurally-Malled System

Beyond the social issue of what, is the why. Plummeting birth rates are more than just a rise of Instagram feminism. It can be rooted deeper, into the very core and crevices of governmental policies and societal structures.

South Korea has always been a nation influenced heavily by Neo-Confucianism, a concept which places strict gender norms on the population, and an obligation of abidance. Historically speaking, South Korean women have been limited from education and were instead confined to household duties and chores, including childbirth. Hence, birth rates have never really been a big problem.

However, with strong economic and societal development, South Korean women have been more and more exposed to education, leading to higher educational attainments and greater social advancements. Over 70% of women between 25 and 34 were active in the workforce by 2020. However, despite the increase of females in the South Korean workforce and job market, some of the Confucian roots remain.

Beneath the success of high GDP and societal development, South Korean women often feel trapped in a system that demands unpaid labor, exhausting work hours, and traditional gender roles without any actual support. [censored] Joseon—a reference to the oppressive nature of feudal Korea—has become a phrase for the suffocating expectations placed on the coming generations.

In such cases, women often face many burdens:

1. Gender Wage Gap: As of 2022, the gender pay gap in Korea is at a stunning 31.2%, in comparison to the OECD average of 13.1%. You can't really expect women to raise a child while having to earn significantly less.

2. Toxic Work Culture: Extensive working hours (the notorious 69-hour workweeks), discriminatory hiring practices, and glass ceilings make it nearly impossible to balance a career with family life. And even worse, women struggle to resume their careers after childbirth and the consequent maternity leaves. It is almost impossible to balance childbirth duties without a healthy and financially stable work system.

3. Strict Family Expectations: Marriage, in some places of Korea, still remains a deeply patriarchal institution. Women are expected to manage great amounts of household affairs, serve their in-laws, and cook daily breakfast for the family.

All in all, women tend to face many issues such as economic insecurity, gender discrimination, demanding work lives and household business. The costs of raising a child after its birth has also been notoriously expensive. South Korea has seen skyrocketing property prices over the past few years, with only 13.2% of young South Koreans aged 19-34 having home ownership.

Furthermore, Korea’s competitive education system also pushes the costs of raising children to rank highest in the world, at 7.79 times the GDP per capita. Faced with these suffocating conditions, many young women are rejecting both marriage and motherhood altogether.

Image Credit: Kaboompics.com from Pexels

Take the Quiz: Music or no music when studying?

Which helps you study better?

Rise of the “4B” Movement

As a result of these injustices, South Korean women have been spearheading a social movement known as "4B" (Four Nos):

• No Dating
• No [censored]
• No Marriage
• No Childbirth

This is more than just a catchphrase—instead, it is a furious response to misogyny, economic inequality, and gender-based violence. South Korean women are opting out of the patriarchy, not out of inability, but rather, out of firm, courageous protest. At this point of the day, rejecting childbirth is not even due to economic concerns.

It is a matter of autonomy. It is a type of autonomy fueled by realization and awakening. It is telling the rest of the world that we are not tools used for childbirth, we are fresh, living individuals refusing to endure sexist workplace discrimination, and refusing to be expected to serve a husband and his family at the cost of personal happiness. It is telling the rest of the world that over seemingly grand national interests, we prioritize ourselves.

Image Credit: Mossholder from Pexels

Beyond the Birth Rates

The South Korean government, in a desperate attempt to reverse the trend, have poured over $200 billion into pro-natalist policies. Yet, from cash bonuses to housing subsidies, to parental leave benefits, none of them seem to solve the root and structural issue.

Who will raise the child? Who will protect women’s careers? Who will ensure a livable and burdenless society?

Beyond motherhood, we must realize that birth rates are not something that is solely dependent and based on the women population. They are not culprits and are not responsible for fixing the problem single-handedly. Instead of asking women to sacrifice their futures, South Korea must rethink its very foundation. It must redefine family structures, enforce workplace protections, and dismantle misogyny at its core.

Until then, South Korean women will continue to fight for their right to exist beyond their wombs. And maybe, just maybe, the world should start listening.