Most Seoullites Relaxed About Cohabitation without Marriage

More than half the population of Seoul are relaxed about couples living together without formally tying the knot, data suggests.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government analyzed Statistics Korea’s data of 3,881 Seoul citizens — 1,894 men and 1,987 women.

It said 60.8 percent of the male respondents and 58.1 percent of the women believe it is okay for a couple to live together without getting married. Almost one-third of respondents also said it is all right for unmarried couples to have children.

Men have a more positive view of marriage than women. Some 59.3 percent of men said they feel marriage is either necessary or desirable, compared to only 43.5 percent of women.

Among men in their 20s, 7.3 percent said people should avoid marriage altogether, doubling from two years ago.

Meanwhile, the statistics showed the population of the capital at 9.79 million, while 51.4 percent are women. The proportion of female residents has risen steadily since 2005.

But men in the capital earn a whopping 34.5 percent more than women. The average monthly salary of male citizens stood at W3.53 million as of the first half of 2020 but just W2.31 million for women.