The paradox of change: Religion and fertility decline in South Korea

Yoo, Sam Hyun; Agadjanian, Victor

doi:10.4054/demres.2021.44.23

Cited by 5 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 48 publications

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“…While the total population increased in number one and half times, the religiously affiliated population increased sixfold from the mid-1960s to the mid-1990s (Kim 2003). As previously nonaffiliated individuals joined Buddhism, Protestantism, or Catholicism, the Korean population aged 20 and over comprised 46 percent religious nones, 27 percent Buddhists, 19 percent Protestants, and 7 percent Catholics in 1995 (Kim et al 2009;Yoo and Agadjanian 2021). Since then, the expansion has stalled, and there has been a retreat from religious affiliation since the early 2000s (Kim et al 2009;Yoo and Agadjanian 2021).…”

Section: Background the Korean Contextmentioning

confidence: 94%

“…As previously nonaffiliated individuals joined Buddhism, Protestantism, or Catholicism, the Korean population aged 20 and over comprised 46 percent religious nones, 27 percent Buddhists, 19 percent Protestants, and 7 percent Catholics in 1995 (Kim et al 2009;Yoo and Agadjanian 2021). Since then, the expansion has stalled, and there has been a retreat from religious affiliation since the early 2000s (Kim et al 2009;Yoo and Agadjanian 2021). As a result, the prevalence of religious nones increased to 56 percent in 2015, while Protestants (20 percent), Buddhists (16 percent), and Catholics (8 percent) still constituted three major religiously affiliated groups (Statistics Korea 2016).…”

Section: Background the Korean Contextmentioning

confidence: 96%

“…Especially, the fact that both Christian and non‐Christian religions exist side‐by‐side enables researchers to explore whether and how the role of religious homogamy varies across these religious traditions. In addition, because of the ethnically homogeneous population in Korea, it can be assumed to be free of any confounding effects of ethnic homogamy associated with religious homogamy (Yoo and Agadjanian 2021). Moreover, it has been well‐known that religion matters for various aspects of marital lives in Korea.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Religious Homogamy and Marital Satisfaction in South Korea: Exploring Variations across Religious Groups

Lee

2023

Scientific Study of Religion

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This study examines whether and how the association between religious homogamy (i.e., whether spouses have the same religious affiliation) and marital satisfaction varies across religious affiliations by utilizing a unique context that four large religious groups (i.e., Buddhists, Protestants, Catholics, and religious nones) coexist in South Korea. Our results show that while religious homogamy has a positive relationship with marital satisfaction among Protestants and Catholics, there is no such association among Buddhists. This study also reveals that higher levels of religious attendance intensify the positive relationship between religious homogamy and marital satisfaction only among Protestants. Moreover, religious heterogamy is positively associated with marital relationships among religious nones compared to religious homogamy. However, this pattern held only for religious nones who married Buddhists or Catholics. We discuss the implications of our findings for research on religion and marriage from cross‐cultural perspectives.

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Section: Background the Korean Contextmentioning

confidence: 94%

Section: Background the Korean Contextmentioning

confidence: 96%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Religious Homogamy and Marital Satisfaction in South Korea: Exploring Variations across Religious Groups

Lee

2023

Scientific Study of Religion

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“…Therefore, the cultural hypothesis of fertility proposes that ethnic fertility differentials have a root in the cultural norms formulated and sustained in each group and, more importantly, these cultural elements are not a byproduct of material conditions but maintain their own consistency throughout the history. For example, religiosity may independently explain fertility differentials, including that in fertility rate and the desired number of children, between human groups across the world (Brañas‐Garza & Neuman, 2007; Hayford & Morgan, 2008; McQuillan, 2004; Yoo & Agadjanian, 2021). The use of contraceptives itself tends to spread along the cultural and linguistic lines independent of individuals' economic standing in their cultural group (Agadjanian, 2001; McQuillan, 2004).…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ethnic context and fertility differential in post‐Soviet Kazakhstan

Yang

Liang

Lü

2023

Population Space and Place

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Previous studies have often explained fertility differentials between racial groups by aggregate individual characteristics. Emphasizing a spatial perspective, this study argues that the fertility implications of race may depend on the ethnic composition of the local context. This study tested the explanatory power of contextual ethnic composition, measured by diversity and minority share, with the intriguing case of fertility differentials in post‐Soviet Kazakhstan. Multilevel Poisson regressions and decomposition techniques were performed on the pooled 1995 and 1999 Kazakhstan Demographic and Health Surveys. Further sensitivity tests were conducted with the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey‐Kazakhstan 2010–2011 and 2015 surveys. We found that both diversity and minority share are significant contributors to the majority‐minority fertility differential. Specifically, context‐level ethnic diversity is associated with lower fertility (−0.22, p < 0.001) for both Russians and Kazakhs, while a higher share of Russians in the local context reduces the differential between the two groups (−0.26, p < 0.05). Sensitivity test using data from the 2010s reproduced the significant effect of the context‐level share of Russians on fertility. The findings suggest that minority individuals exhibit lower fertility levels in places where their presence is more suppressed. This study contributes to population geography's recognition of the importance of spatial and contextual processes in shaping fertility outcomes for racial/ethnic minorities by impacting their living environment.

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“…Kim 1997;A. E. Kim 2002;Yoo and Agadjanian 2021). Further, it remains unclear how Buddhism, a religious tradition with deep roots in East Asia, would relate to gender ideology, given its ambiguous and sometimes contradictory teachings on the social status of women relative to men (Crane 2007;Dash 2007;Di 2021;Paul 1981).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Swapping Gender Traditionalism: Christianity, Buddhism, and Gender Ideology in South Korea

JEON

2023

Scientific Study of Religion

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South Korea provides an ideal setting for studying religion and gender because Western and local religions are both prominent, and Confucianist beliefs still shape gender norms. Using the 2018 Korean General Social Survey, this study examines the extent to which two dimensions of gender traditionalism in South Korea–Confucian patriarchal ideology (i.e., belief in the subordination of women for Confucian patriarchy) and separate spheres ideology (i.e., belief that men are better suited to work and women to domestic responsibilities)—vary across Buddhists, Catholics, Protestants, and the nonaffiliated. The findings show that Christians have the lowest endorsement for Confucian patriarchal ideology while supporting separate spheres ideology as much as Buddhists, who are most gender traditional in both dimensions. The results illustrate the dynamics between religion and gender norms in South Korea's context, demonstrating how Christianity combines Western modernization with gender‐essentialist traditionalism, while Buddhism maintains Confucian patriarchal values.

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The paradox of change: Religion and fertility decline in South Korea

Cited by 5 publications

References 48 publications

Religious Homogamy and Marital Satisfaction in South Korea: Exploring Variations across Religious Groups

Religious Homogamy and Marital Satisfaction in South Korea: Exploring Variations across Religious Groups

Ethnic context and fertility differential in post‐Soviet Kazakhstan

Swapping Gender Traditionalism: Christianity, Buddhism, and Gender Ideology in South Korea

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