Women population to outgrow men in Korea, a forecast says

While Korean women are making great achievements in various areas of the society, women population is expected to outgrow that of men from next year. As Korea`s son preference is dampened and sex ratio imbalance has been corrected, expectations are growing that the birth rate will go up further. On the contrary, some are concerned that the "aging society shock" will become more severe if Korea fails to provide sufficient opportunities for the increased women population to advance into society.

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According to the Future Population Forecast by National Statistical Office (NSO) released on Sunday, female population in Korea will reach 25.31 million, outpacing male population (25.3 million) in next year. This is the first time for the female population to overtake the male since 1960 when the office started keeping the related statistics.

The biggest reason behind the growing female population is aging society. As women have longer life expectancy than men, the female population is likely to outgrow the male population when the elderly population increases. Last year, the birth ratio between boys and girls (the number of boys per 100 girls) dropped to 105.3:100, the lowest level since 1981. Weakened son preference also played a part in increase of the women population. The number of boys per 100 girls had been over 110 by the early 2000s, but the number has been decreasing since then. Since 2007, the ratio has remains at the level of natural sex ratio at 103-107 boys per 100 girls. Experts emphasize that measures to enhance employment rate of female population are needed to mediate side effects caused by the aging society and increasing female population.