Unmarried women with traditional views on marriage and family are more likely to have an intention to marry, a recent study showed.

Three out of four unmarried women showed an eclectic attitude between traditional and non-traditional values, and the analysis showed that not only family values but also economic conditions such as employment status and income affect the willingness to marry.

According to a report titled "The Impact of Family Value Typologies on the Marriage Intentions of Unmarried Women in Their 20s to 40s" (by Kim Da-eun of Seoul National University) published today in the academic journal of the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs, the findings are based on an analysis of 1,496 unmarried women using data from the 9th wave of the Korean Longitudinal Family Survey in 2022.

The average age of all participants was 30.7 years.

The report classified the participants into three types based on their responses to questions regarding family values: the "traditional norm-accepting type," who agree on the necessity of marriage and children and perceive marriage and family as an important path in life; the "eclectic value type," who do not show a clear stance on the necessity of marriage and children and maintain an eclectic attitude between traditional and non-traditional values; and the "post-traditional accepting type," who show the lowest level of agreement on the necessity of marriage and children, have high acceptance of alternative family forms, and place importance on personal autonomy and achievement.

Women with the eclectic value type accounted for the largest share at 75.0%, followed by the traditional norm-accepting type at 17.7%, and the post-traditional accepting type at 7.4%.

There were significant differences in the intention to marry across the different types.

Women of the traditional norm-accepting type showed a high intention to marry, while those of the post-traditional accepting type were more likely to have no intention to marry or to have never thought about it.

Employment status and household income also showed a significant correlation with the intention to marry.

Unemployed women rather than employed ones, and those with lower household incomes, were more likely to have no intention to marry.

The report analyzed that "the intention to marry is closely related to differences in individual values as well as socioeconomic conditions," adding that "the intention to marry is the combined result of perceptions regarding life conditions and expectations after marriage."

It pointed out that "this indicates the need for marriage and family policies to expand in a direction that encompasses diverse value orientations and life paths," noting that "family policies centered on childbirth conditional on marriage may not fully reflect the value perceptions and choices of all groups, suggesting the need to reexamine the existing approach that has treated marriage and childbirth as the same path."

The report stated that "institutional foundations must be strengthened—such as creating a gender-equal family environment, alleviating career interruptions, supporting housing stability, and easing childcare burdens—so that marriage can be perceived as a choice that enhances the stability and quality of life rather than a burden on an individual's life."