As the birth rate in South Korea continues to decline, the capital Seoul has decided to innovate and subsidize egg freezing.
With just 0.7 births per woman at the end of 2023, South Korea has one of the lowest birth rates in the world and is well below the replacement rate, meaning the population is rapidly aging and shrinking.
The government has already invested billions of dollars to boost the birth rate. Authorities in Seoul are now proposing to subsidize egg freezing, although experts say the move is unlikely to reverse the country's population decline.
Jeong, in his mid-forties, decided to take advantage of this opportunity.
“Because of my age, I was under pressure to have a child, which led me to get married quickly,” explains the Korean woman, who only wants to be identified by her last name.
“When I was in my mid-30s, I suggested to the men I was in relationships with that I get married as soon as possible, but it didn't work out,” she continues.
Egg freezing theoretically allows women to preserve their fertility. However, the chances of success are higher if you do this before egg quality declines, usually after age 38.
“Investing in future births”
So Jeong resorted to a fallback solution by freezing her eggs, and says she's no longer “as afraid” of being single or risking not having children.
“Now that I have my frozen eggs as insurance, I can take my time” finding the right person, she told AFP.
Seoul believes that helping women freeze their eggs is “the most practical solution” to “invest in potential future births,” the city hall says.
In her opinion: “As the age of marriage and childbirth continues to decline and women's participation in society becomes more important, the interest of single women who want to become pregnant and give birth in the future is growing.”
However, specifically, this program only helps women who get married and have a child through intrauterine insemination (IUI) or in vitro fertilization (IVF), as these procedures are virtually impossible for single or same-sex couples. , with many clinics requiring marriage certificates.
Egg freezing technology has been available in South Korea since the late 1990s, but the process was little known and in low demand.
Until a few years ago, only women with cancer who were at risk of losing their fertility were interested in the procedure, said Cha Kwang-yul, who heads the CHA Medical Center. Lately, “the culture has changed and people are saying, 'If you don't get married, save your eggs'.”
“Generation n-Po”
However, according to experts, these measures do not take major social changes into account.
Young South Koreans refer to themselves as the “n-Po” generation, those who have given up on many of their elders' goals such as marriage, parenthood and home ownership due to stagnant growth and intense competition for jobs.
In 2022, there were 3.7 marriages per 1,000 people in South Korea, a historic low. And single-person households now make up 41% of all households.
However, single parenthood remains highly stigmatized and marginalized in this country, Hyeyoung Woo, professor of sociology at Portland State University (USA), tells AFP.
In 2020, only 2.5% of South Korean babies were born out of wedlock, compared to the OECD average of 40%.
Subsidizing egg freezing “will not effectively address Korea's low birth rate,” she said.
Instead, it recommends promoting marriage or the birth of a second child through housing and tax assistance measures, childcare and parental leave.
The country also needs to “accept more diverse family forms” and help singles and same-sex couples who want to have children, she suggests.