The number of South Korean men leaving the workforce to care for preschool children or manage household duties reached a record high in the first quarter ended March 31, underscoring a gradual shift in traditional family roles as more women pursue full-time careers.
According to data released on June 29 by Statistics Korea through the Korean Statistical Information Service (KOSIS), 274,000 men were classified as economically inactive because of childcare or housework during the first quarter, up 16.6% from a year earlier. The figure was the highest for any first quarter since the current classification system was introduced in 2004.
Most were homemakers rather than full-time caregivers. About 261,000 men cited household duties as the primary reason they were outside the labor force, up 16.5% from a year earlier. Another 13,000 stayed home mainly to care for preschool children, an 18.2% increase.
The number of stay-at-home men has nearly doubled over the past two decades. It stood at 151,000 in the first quarter of 2006, surpassed 200,000 for the first time in 2022 and has continued to climb.
Statistics Korea classifies childcare as caring for preschool-age children, including grandchildren, while housework refers to those primarily responsible for household duties.
The trend contrasts with a continued decline in the number of women outside the labor force for the same reasons. The number of women classified as economically inactive because of childcare or housework fell 1.9% from a year earlier to 6.54 million, the lowest first-quarter level since comparable records began in 2004.
The figures suggest South Korea’s traditional division of household responsibilities is gradually evolving. Greater acceptance of fathers taking on caregiving roles, together with stronger labor-force participation among women, has made households supported primarily by female earners increasingly common.
The shift has also coincided with a growing number of women in high-paying professional occupations.
A Bank of Korea report released in April found that the labor-force participation rate of women ages 25 to 34 with at least a bachelor’s degree has nearly caught up with that of men. The ratio of economically active women to men in that group rose from 51.5% in 2002 to 95.5% last year.
Women now account for nearly as many professionals as men in the same age group. In office occupations, female employment exceeded that of men, with women representing 113.8 workers for every 100 men.
A Statistics Korea official said the latest figures primarily reflect the long-term increase in men’s participation in childcare and household responsibilities.
The agency dismissed suggestions that the recent conflict in the Middle East materially contributed to the rise in economically inactive men, saying the conflict began only toward the end of February and had little measurable effect on employment during March.
