South Korea has experienced a nearly threefold increase in the preference for daughters over the past 30 years.

A recent survey by Gallup International, which covered 44 countries and 44,783 adults regarding their child gender preference, found that 65 percent of all respondents said the gender of their child does not matter, while 16 percent preferred sons and 15 percent preferred daughters.

In South Korea, 56 percent of respondents said gender does not matter, slightly below the global average. However, 28 percent expressed a preference for daughters, surpassing the 15 percent who preferred sons. This marks a significant shift from a 1992 survey, where 58 percent preferred sons and only 10 percent preferred daughters.

Breaking down the results by age group, respondents in their 20s through 50s all showed a stronger preference for daughters over sons. In contrast, among those aged 60 and older, preferences for sons (23 percent) and daughters (20 percent) were roughly equal.


don@heraldcorp.com