Hanwha General Insurance: South Korean Women's Financial Satisfaction at 40%, Lower Than Men

Only 40% of South Korean women reported being satisfied with their financial situation, data showed.

According to the "2026 South Korean Women's Report" released today (the 21st) by the Femtech Research Institute of Hanwha General Insurance, 53.2% of 3,000 women aged 20 to 69 selected "finances" as the most important among six wellness areas (finances, physical health, mental health, relationships, time and lifestyle, and personal growth).

Among 500 male respondents, 54.6% also chose finances as their top priority, showing no significant gender gap.

However, only 40.7% of women expressed satisfaction with their financial situation, which is 6.3 percentage points lower than men (47.0%).

Satisfaction with asset building through savings and investment stood at 43.4%, while satisfaction with retirement and future preparation was 43.7%, trailing men by 3.2 percentage points and 3.1 percentage points, respectively.

Satisfaction with consumption and expenditure control reached 60.4%, marking a 2.0 percentage point higher figure than that of men.

The overall wellness index for women averaged 4.39 out of 7 points, falling below the score for men (4.52 points).

Except for the time and lifestyle category, women's wellness scores were lower than men's across all items.

The report pointed out that "women did not show high levels in both importance and satisfaction across any of the six wellness areas," adding that "factors causing dissatisfaction in high-priority areas such as finances and physical health should be prioritized for improvement."

During a press conference held at the Hannam Building in Seoul today, Researcher Kim Ji-hye stated, "Women expressed many concerns, including anxiety and pressure regarding retirement preparation," and added, "We aim to develop services that can alleviate future economic burdens."

The report categorizes women's lives into 12 archetypes, grouping them into balanced, selective, engaged, and exploratory clusters.

Although their life priorities and satisfaction levels varied, "a sense of control over one's life" (19.5%) was chosen as the top factor influencing happiness.

Sung Yong-jun, a professor of psychology at Korea University who served as an advisory member, remarked, "It is difficult to fully explain women's diverse values and life orientations solely through conventional demographic characteristics or traditional roles," and noted, "This report is significant as it sheds light on diverse aspects of life that have been obscured by stereotyped images of women."

This report is a flagship publication released by Hanwha General Insurance approximately three years after establishing the Femtech Research Institute, a specialized research body for women.

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.