[News Terms] The Return of Women in Their 30s Who Left Jobs... The Disappearance of the 'M-Curve'

Employment Curve Reflecting Career-Interrupted Women Issues
Last Year, Women in Their 30s Ranked First in Overall Employment Rate
Low Marriage Rate and Low Birthrate 'Reflection Effect'

The 'M-curve' phenomenon refers to the pattern in the labor market where the number of women increases in their 20s, decreases in their 30s due to pregnancy, childbirth, and childcare, and then rises again in their 40s as they re-enter employment. The name "M-curve" comes from the shape of the curve of women's economic activity participation rate and employment rate changes, which resembles the English letter 'M'. This is a lifecycle employment curve of women that statistically represents the social issue of career-interrupted women (Gyeongdan-nyeo).

The term "career-interrupted women" (Gyeongdan-nyeo) was first used in domestic law on December 21, 2007, when Article 17-2 (Support for Skill Development and Employment Promotion of Career-Interrupted Women) was newly established by amending the "Act on Gender Equality in Employment and Support for Work-Family Balance." Subsequently, the concept of "career-interrupted women" began to be widely used socially after the enactment of the "Act on Promotion of Economic Activities of Career-Interrupted Women, etc." (Career-Interrupted Women Act) on June 5, 2008.

The reason for enacting the Career-Interrupted Women Act was that Korean women could not continue economic activities due to pregnancy, childbirth, and childcare, resulting in a low economic activity participation rate. In reality, women in their 30s, who should be most active in work, often leave their jobs due to marriage, childbirth, and childcare issues, and return to the workforce after their children have grown to some extent.

As a result, women find it difficult to grow as experts in their fields due to a significant period of disconnection from the labor market. Even if they succeed in re-employment, they often remain in relatively unfavorable working conditions such as simple tasks or contract positions. These are side effects of the M-curve phenomenon. The M-curve reflects the social reality that solidifies the career-interrupted women phenomenon.

The M-curve is distinct in the female age group in their 30s.
[Photo by Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs]

However, this M-curve phenomenon is disappearing. According to Statistics Korea's "Economically Active Population Survey," the employment rate of women in their 30s last year was 68%, ranking first among all age groups. It surpassed those in their 20s (63.4%), 40s (66%), and 50s (67.8%). This is the first time since related statistics were compiled in 2000. Twenty years ago, in 2004, the female employment rates were 59.3% for women in their 20s, 53.1% for those in their 30s, and 62.9% for those in their 40s. The M-curve phenomenon, where employment decreased in the 30s and recovered in the 40s, was distinct.

The Korea Employment Information Service analyzed in its March publication, "Characteristics of Employment Trends in 2023 and Employment Outlook for 2024," that the increase in employment among women in their 30s last year and the weakening of the M-curve phenomenon were partly due to the effects of policies aimed at increasing women's economic activity participation rates, but largely influenced by the reflective effects of low marriage rates and low birth rates.

According to Statistics Korea, last year's total fertility rate was a record low of 0.72. The number of births was 230,000, a decrease of 19,200 (7.7%) from 249,200 in 2022. The total fertility rate refers to the average number of children a woman is expected to have in her lifetime. Among the 38 member countries of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), South Korea is the only country with a total fertility rate below 1. The crude marriage rate (number of marriages per 1,000 population) has steadily declined from 9.6 in 1992 to a significantly low 3.8 last year.

Yoon Jeong-hye, a research fellow at the Korea Employment Information Service, explained, "The recent increase in employment rates among married women in their late 30s is due to a higher proportion of married women without cohabiting children under 18," adding, "The employment rate gap between married women with and without cohabiting children remains large, so it is necessary to strengthen efforts to create a work environment where work and childcare can be balanced."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.