78% of newlyweds say marriage improved their lives, survey finds

About eight in 10 engaged and newly married couples say they intend to have children, and nearly as many report that marriage has improved their lives — yet more than 90 percent say they have not had enough conversation about how to divide housework and childcare after having a baby, pointing to a gap between expectations and practical preparation.

Yuhan-Kimberly and Seoul YWCA said Monday that 78.5 percent of respondents in a survey of 570 applicants to the "2026 Newlywed School" reported their lives had changed positively after marriage.

Among respondents who had no children or were currently pregnant, 65.33 percent said they planned to have children, while 13.33 percent were already pregnant — combining to 78.7 percent who indicated an intention to have children.

Practical concerns about childbirth and child-rearing weighed heavily on respondents, however. They cited financial burdens, the responsibilities of parenthood and work-life balance as their main worries. Notably, 92.4 percent said they had not yet had sufficient discussions with their partner about dividing housework and childcare after having a baby.

The gap between perception and reality on housework sharing is also reflected in national statistics. In the 2024 Ministry of Statistics social survey, 68.9 percent of respondents said housework should be shared equally — up 4.2 percentage points from two years earlier. Only 23.3 percent of wives, however, said equal sharing was actually happening in their homes.

Social attitudes toward marriage have shown some signs of recovery recently. In the same survey, 52.5 percent said they believed people should get married, up 2.5 percentage points from 2022. Among those who chose not to marry, insufficient funds was the most common reason at 31.3 percent, followed by the burden of childbirth and child-rearing at 15.4 percent and unstable employment at 12.9 percent.

Yuhan-Kimberly and Seoul YWCA held the "2026 Newlywed School Let's PICNIC" on Sept. 5 and Sept. 12 to give couples a space to work through these real-life concerns together. A total of 50 couples participated, ranging from those engaged to be married to couples in their seventh year of marriage.

This year's program was designed for couples to share their thoughts on married life, childbirth, child-rearing and caregiving, and to explore each other's values. Sessions with experts were also offered.

The Newlywed School is a corporate social responsibility program run jointly by Yuhan-Kimberly and Seoul YWCA that has continued for 18 years since its launch in 2009. Cumulative participation, both online and in person, has reached approximately 37,700 people.

"It is important for couples to fully share their thoughts and concerns as they prepare for marriage, childbirth and child-rearing," a Yuhan-Kimberly corporate social responsibility official said. "We hope this Newlywed School served as an opportunity for couples to envision together what a family built on mutual respect and consideration looks like."