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According to the Korea Employment Information Service (KEIS), the number of women in their 30s having professional jobs while remaining single, has increased nearly 12 times in five years.
In its report on 75,000 sample families with at least one member over 15 years old, the number of single women aged from 30 to 45 with more than 40 million won annual income marked 27,233 in 2006, a growth about 11.7 times from 2,152 in 2001.
The typical ``Gold Miss'' with stable financial status, apparently derived from Konglish ``old-miss,'' mostly works as an office worker, private institute instructor, schoolteacher, financier or sales clerk. Computer programming, information technology engineering and filmmaking were also fields of choice for a high portion of these female singles with high income.
The main reason behind the increase is attributed to the rocketing costs of living as married couple.
``The costs of marriage ¡ª housing, childrearing and education ¡ª is getting tremendous. If society does not come out with proper supporting plans to support childrearing, more women will likely opt to remain a Gold Miss,'' KEIS researcher Park Sang-hyun said.
The conventional idea of women getting married in their late 20s or early 30s, raising children and supporting their family living is rapidly changing. Going to the altar and risking the high cost of raising children among other difficulties, does not attract them as much any more, observers said.
These days, they choose to pursue a professional career and stay single until ``they really feel the need to get married.''
In 1970, only 3 percent of women aged between 30 and 34 were single but now nearly 30 percent are unmarried, according to Seoul City Government data.
Source: http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2008/01/113_17624
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