KWDI Korean Women’s Development Institute

This research has investigated the lives of and differences among women in their 30s and 40s based on their marital status, employment status, and family characteristics in order to identify policy needs by group. Existing statistics on the characteristics of women in the 30-40 age bracket were analyzed before carrying out a telephone survey of a total of 800 women in the age group nation-wide from November 1 to November 15 in 2012. According to the survey, a majority of respondents preferred continuing their career after marriage, while marriage was considered a matter of personal choice but not a necessity. They also preferred marrying after they have been financially secured. The respondents also showed a fair level of gender equality perspective in relation to care for aging parents and household matters. In terms of the needs for women's policy, they called for safety, improvement in wages and work conditions for female workers, welfare support for underprivileged women including the disabled and single mothers, and support for working women for work-family balance.

Next, a total of 40 women in the age group were interviewed. According to the interviews, a number of single women in their 30s and 40s experienced bias in social perceptions and policies. They also confessed that it is difficult to plan the future in terms of continuation of economic participation. In relation to work-related obstacles, they listed insufficient welfare support for employees, difficulties experienced as female employees and irregular workers, and lack of channels within the company to communicate such difficulties. As to major household concerns, married women pointed to cost for childcare and housing while single women listed housing cost and high price of living. Both married and unmarried groups were greatly concerned about childcare and their physical and mental health. Compared to married women, in addition, single women felt less secure in their community environment. The conclusion section includes policy suggestions for the women in the 30-40 age group based on the findings of the research.