The Timing of First Marriage and Family Formation in Korea and Japan

Abstract

This study examines first marriage and childbirth (from first child to third child) in Korean and Japanese women in a life-cycle perspective. Findings from this study indicated that first marriage was negatively related to birth-cohort, educational attainment and living area (rural/urban area) until the age of 15. Women who lived in urban areas were less likely to get married and to give birth to first, second, and third children. The higher a woman’s age at first marriage, the less she gives birth to first, second, and third children. Regarding economic activities, having a job delays a second childbirth in Japanese women, whereas it delays first marriage and first and second childbirths in Korean women. These results could be explained by differences in the labor market of the two countries. Moreover, Korean people have son-preference, whereas Japanese people do not and show a tendency to have equal numbers of sons and daughters.