Foreign Media Attributes South Korea's Record-Low Birth Rate to Gender Conflict

Foreign media outlets have pointed to gender conflict, rather than high housing or child-rearing costs, as the cause of South Korea's world-low birth rate.

The Italian daily Corriere della Sera published an article titled "Korean Mothers Are on Strike: The Endangered East Asian Tiger."

The article pointed out that "the main causes of South Korea's low birth rate are gender inequality and discrimination in the working environment."

It continued, "As gender conflicts worsen, many women are launching a so-called 'birth strike' to break away from being 'baby-making machines,'" adding that "ultimately, gender equality is the only solution to overcome the low birth rate."

It also offered the interpretation that women wearing hair rollers, a common sight on streets and public transportation, serve as a symbol of "defiance" against a world created by South Korean men.

This is not the first time a media outlet has linked South Korea's ultra-low birth rate to gender equality issues.

Previously, an American news magazine published a column stating that "gender is the sharpest social fault line in South Korea," pointing out that "the mutual distrust and hatred between South Korean men and women is the root cause of the record-low birth rate."

(Photo Source: Corriere della Sera Twitter)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.