The Sustainable Growth Research Institute (SGI) published its March Monthly Research on "Workers' Honest Feelings About Childcare and Household Division." The study surveyed 364 workers (269 men, 95 women) from February 17-21, 2025 via Google Forms.
Key findings: (1) Childcare/household division as a marriage barrier: women (64.2%) felt the burden nearly 3x more than men (25%). (2) Gender gap in childcare/household division: "inevitable to some degree" (45.9%) vs. "should not exist" (36.5%) — women strongly favored eliminating the gap (52.6% vs. men 30.9%). (3) Support for men's childcare leave: women 69.5% actively supportive vs. men only 20.8% — men opposing at 29.0% vs. women 5.3%. Generational views: 20s favor equal division; 30s emphasize men's active participation for emotional satisfaction and family bonding; 40s note natural gender role differences but oppose single-person childcare monopoly; 50s acknowledge the gap should not exist but recognize current reality falls short. SGI Research Fellow Dr. Shin Gyeong-su: "The fact that so many women still identify household/childcare division as a marriage barrier requires greater social attention."
