The gap between the rich and the poor in terms of encountering life chances widened among younger generations in South Korea, with such social immobility costing the country social and economic losses, a report showed Sunday.

The report, written by the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs, showed that social immobility was more prevalent among younger Koreans in their 20s, 30s and 40s, compared to the older generation. The research interviewed a total of 1,342 Koreans and divided them into three age groups -- 21-41, 42-56, and 57-76 -- to examine social mobility by generation.

The research found that older Koreans had more personal control over their fate than the younger generation. While those with higher education degrees had a better chance of getting quality jobs regardless of their parents’ socioeconomic status in the past, young Koreans nowadays need financial support from their parents to earn degrees that are prestigious enough to get them secure jobs and housing, the researchers said, claiming it to be a sign of increasing inequality in the country. 

“South Korea’s rapid economic growth was possible because people wanted to climb the social ladder, and they believed escaping poverty was possible as long as they worked hard,” the researchers said in the report.

“This also led to the country’s collective enthusiasm for education. But the increasing social immobility among the country’s younger generation may lead to slow economic growth as when one feels she or he has limited control over their own life, the person is less likely to try anything new or productive.”

For all generations, the higher the father’s academic achievement was, the more likely the offspring would be similarly educated and therefore have access to more social resources. The trend was more noticeable among the youngest group of the three.

In the youngest group for instance, 89.6 percent of those who received higher education also had university-educated parents. The comparative percentage was 79.7 percent for 42 to 56-year-olds, while it was 64 percent for those aged 57-76.

For all generations, if the father had a middle school education level, 16.4 percent of the sons or the daughters had the same education level. If the father had graduated at least from high school, nearly 0 percent of the offspring dropped out of high school.

Parents’ education levels also had an influence in the children’s academic performances in all age groups, profoundly among the youngest Koreans. In the youngest group, only 6.5 percent of those who had stellar academic performances had parents who never attended high school. The comparative figure was slightly higher at 7.4 percent for 42-to 56-year-olds, and 12 percent for those aged 57-76

By occupation, if the fathers worked in an office or had professional jobs, 37.1 percent of those aged 21-41 and 56.4 percent of those aged 42-56 had the same types of jobs.

Among the youngest generation, in particular, 9.4 percent of those working labor jobs had parents who did the same, which was fivefold higher than the overall average of 1.9 percent.

Researchers claimed their findings show it is becoming harder for the younger generation today to climb the social ladder than for those who are older, and social immobility can create a collective sense of despair and hopelessness among young Koreans.

“Many young people feel that no matter how hard they try, they cannot live a better life than their parents, or they cannot succeed unless they have parents who can financially support them,” they said in the report. “And such sense of despair, when shared by many, can eventually lead to social conflicts and economic losses.”

The research also showed that only 22 percent of young Koreans in their 20s and 30s think diligence is an important asset for success, while 43 percent of those aged 50 or older thought the same. Also, only 32 percent of the young Koreans said they considered education as important in their lives.

The report pointed out that one’s educational level has been one of the greatest indicators of his or her socioeconomic status in South Korea, and that it is increasingly difficult for schoolchildren to achieve high academic performances without the help of their parents because of the hypercompetitive education system, as well as high private education costs.

“In South Korea, parents have two options to help their children to have more opportunities and succeed -- bequeath their wealth and properties or invest in their education,” the report said. “Those who don’t have much to bequeath would more likely invest more in their children’s education. And that’s why many Korean children’s life opportunities largely depend on their parent’s financial ability to invest in their education.”

Researchers said legislation should be revised to guarantee equality of opportunity for schoolchildren and young Koreans by banning or punishing well-off parents who enroll their children in prestigious universities or have them avoid serving the mandatory military service in illicit ways. 

By Claire Lee (dyc@heralcorp.com)