Low Fertility in South Korea: Effects of Micro-Level Gender Equity and Family Support on Fertility

Soo-Yeon Yoon, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Most demographic theories regarding low fertility focus upon the lack of institutional support facilitating the abilities of households to balance the demands of paid employment and family care. Yet, even within low fertility countries, fertility intentions and outcomes vary within households. This paper examines the effects of micro-level gender equity and family support on fertility in South Korea. Within a country experiencing low fertility, do the childcare resources available to specific households influence a transition to a second- birth from its intentions? How does the relationship between household labor and fertility intersect with family composition? Using the South Korean Longitudinal Survey of Women & Families, I test whether women with family support are more likely to reach their fertility goals. The empirical findings will contribute to our understanding of individual variations of fertility in a lowest-low fertility country and suggest possible pathways that can lead to higher levels of fertility.