75% of younger S. Koreans want to leave country

S. Koreans' attitudes according to generation and gender

Women more anxious about life and future than men

S. Koreans' attitudes according to generation and gender

Young South Koreas, between the ages of 19 and 34, feel more anxious about life than the older generation, a new study has found. And even among the younger generation, the level of anxiety is higher among women than men. As a result, 79% of women want to leave Korea, as do 72% of men.

On Dec. 15, a presentation titled “Diagnosis of Gender Conflicts from a Youth Standpoint and Suggested Policy Responses for an Inclusive State: A Gender Analysis of Fairness Perceptions” was delivered at the Korea Women's Development Institute’s 119th Gender Equality Policy Forum. According to the presentation, eight out of 10 South Koreans aged 19 to 34 viewed South Korea as “a hell,” while 7.5 out of 10 said they hoped to leave. In contrast, 6.4 out of 10 members of the older generation (aged 35 to 59) viewed South Korea as “a hell” and 6.5 reported wanting to leave. The study analyzed data for 5,000 South Koreans aged 19 to 59 by generation and gender.

Compared with the older generation, members of the younger generation showed higher overall levels of anxiety about life, including socioeconomic concerns and anxiety about crime and relationships. Among young respondents, females showed higher levels of anxiety than males. A particularly large disparity between females and males was observed for fear of being victimized by crime: young women had a crime anxiety index rating of 2.66 out of four points, compared with just 1.74 points for young men. Young females were also the angriest. At 2.79, their average rating for anger was the highest for all four groups, compared with 2.53 for young males, 2.58 for older males, and 2.66 for older females.

A clear difference was observed between young males and females in their agreement with the position that men are overrepresented in decision-making jobs such as National Assembly lawmakers. While 87.6% of young females agreed with this position, the 43.1% rate of young males who agreed was lower than the 63% rate for males from the older generation.

By Park Hyun-jung, staff reporter

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