B1 – Intermediate
South Korea is now facing problems related to low birthrate.
Find out the reasons and consequences for their dropping birthrates.
http://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/the-end-of-south-korea/2436486.html
Discussion Questions:
- What is the problem in South Korea according to the audio? Is this also a problem in Spain?
- What are the reasons for low birthrate in SK? What about in your country?
- What are the impacts of low birthrates on a country?
- What can the government do to solve or prevent this problem from happening?
25 replies on “Dropping Birthrates in South Korea”
1. What is the problem in South Korea according to the audio? Is this also a problem in Spain?
The problem is low birthrate and that will make Korea will be empty by 2750 if there is no change.
In Spain is a problem but I think that for the moment it is being solved thanks to inmigration
2. What are the reasons for low birthrate in SK? What about in your country?
The main reason for the drop is the fast growth of the country’s aging population.
In Spain is the same problem. The demographic pyramid is inverting.
3. What are the impacts of low birthrates on a country?
Fewer children means the country must put in place a higher tax rate to support **government** payments to older people. This weakens the country’s economy unless a new system is created.
4. What can the government do to solve or prevent this problem from happening?
The government could prevent this problem promoting benefits for having children, promoting large families by really helping, create home help positions, just as there are other types of civil servants.
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1. What is the problem in South Korea according to the audio? Is this also a problem in Spain?
-According to the audio, the problema in South Korea is that it has one of the lowest birthrate or the world and nobody will live in the Country in 2750 if women haven´t more children soon.
-I have read a new a few weeks ago and Spain has a similiar problema because its birh rate 1.23 is as low as other european countries.
2. What are the reasons for low birthrate in SK? What about in your country?
I consider that the main reason for its low birthrate is that currently people has less children than in the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s.
Besides that, the inmigration policy because in asian countries is really dificult get a visa and that countries need inmingrant people who increase with their children the asian countries birthrates.
About Spain, as I see it, is different and the main reason is that in Spain ist inmigrant policy is easier and flexible than in asian countries where probably you will never achieve ist nationality.
3. What are the impacts of low birthrates on a country?
Acording to the information that I have Heard, one of the most important effects of low birthdates it would be that reduce the competitiveness and the young people with their salaries can’t pay the pensions amount for the elderly people.
4. What can the government do to solve or prevent this problem from happening?
I believe that is a dificult cuestión, it’s hard to change people’s mind about have or haven’t kids and in the past women worked at home and it was easier to raise a child than now when women work as much as men.
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What is the problem in South Korea according to the audio? Is this also a problem in Spain?.
The problem is the very low bithrate. The country population is decreasing. I think Spain has the same problem.
What are the reasons for low birthrate in SK? What about in your country?
There aren´t stable jobs to be able to have children. Many hours working and low salary. Then no family conciliation
We can summarize in: Time, Money, quality of life
What are the impacts of low birthrates on a country?
It impacts in pension system
What can the government do to solve or prevent this problem from happening?
The government should try to prevent this problem and motivate the people an having a family. For example, improving working conditions, lower cost of life or allowing people from other countries to be able to work and have a chance in their cities
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What is the problem in South Korea according to the audio? Is this also a problem in Spain?
South Korea has the same problem than my Country regarding to birthrate. In Spain is the same problem but thanks to the immigrant population is not as dramatic as South Korea.
What are the reasons for low birthrate in SK? What about in your country?
I think there are several factors that cause this situation as time, money, quality of life, etc. In my country it is the same.
What are the impacts of low birthrates on a country?
Long-term can have a big impact on the pension system.
What can the government do to solve or prevent this problem from happening?
In my opinion, the government should will improve the problems before describes.
Better safe than sorry.
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*The problem with the low birthrate is that we don’t have stable jobs to be able to have children. Many hours are worked outside the home and there is no family conciliation.
* When women have children, they are usually removed from the world of work. And that is why many decide not to have children.
* In my country we also have birthrate problems.
* Governments have to give aid and improve working conditions. Northern European countries have good conditions and a high birthrate.
* If no children are born, we will not have money to pay pensions. Finally like in South Korea, we will disappear.
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South Korea faces a huge problem regarding birth control. births are decreasing due to the huge volume of population and also because of the high percent of taxes the government stablish for the older people maintenance.
I think there´s maybe a general issue about birth control, not only in SK but in Europe too. Young people can´t find good jobs in order to emmancipate and that can affect to the plans of living by themselves, get married or having children, for example. At the same time, people are getting retired at a very old age and that can be an issue for the economy budget.
that issue sometimes is solved with immigration politics that allow people from other countries to be able to work and have a chance in their cities, to promote a good lifestyle and help them to make it easier for renting a home, birth control, for example.
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1. The problem in SK is the decrease of the country’s population because the drop of the births. I think that in Spain the problem is similar, there’s no new birth so the aging of the population increase, due to the society flow too.
2. The reason for low birthrates in SK is the lack of immigration nd the evolution of the society. In my country probably a low birthrates is not so evident because there is a lot of immigration and the immigrants used to have numerous families.
3. The impact of low birthrates on a country is reflected in many aspects of society: higher tax rate to pay the retirement of the oldest people, the aging of the government about politics ideas, the difficulties to have some activities with and old population.
4. The government should try to prevent this problem and motivate the people an having a family. Probably they have to lower cost of life or raise the salaries because for a couple is very difficult to have more than one child in this time. There’s many factors that prevent this, for example very high cost of life, the impossibility to buy an house so people have to pay rent and this make the desire to have a big family pretty difficult. An other solution that government can propose is to give an economic help to the families, to grow up the children and to assure them a future full of possibility.
Your efforts are much appreciated. You are doing a good job.
Below is better way to phrase this sentence: An other solution that government can propose is to give an economic help to the families, to grow up the children and to assure them a future full of possibility.
1. What is the problem in South Korea according to the audio? Is this also a problem in Spain?.
The problem is a very low bithrate. I believe it’s a general problem on Western society too, but it’s bit minor in Europe because inmigration
2. What are the reasons for low birthrate in SK? What about in your country?
At some point at 20th century, society mindset changed and women started to have fewer children.
3. What are the impacts of low birthrates on a country?.
People working must start to pay higher tax rates to support older people.
4. What can the government do to solve or prevent this problem from happening?
Implementing new politics and laws which allow younger people to have children without consequences in their professional carreer.
You answered the questions well. Good job.
Look at some minor corrections on this sentence:
– What is the problem in South Korea according to the audio? Is this also a problem in Spain?
The low birth rate. I think it is not a problem in Spain because many immigrants come here, not like in Asian countries
– What are the reasons for low birthrate in SK? What about in your country?
The country’s economy. In Spain is the same reason.
– What are the impacts of low birthrates on a country?
More taxes for the residents.
– What can the government do to solve or prevent this problem from happening?
The govern to pay the population for the birth of children
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1. Is this also a problem in Spain?
Yes, it is also a problem in Spain due to low salaries compared to the price of life. Inflexible working hours don’t help either.
2. What do you think governments can do to solve or prevent this problem from happening?
People must have a less consumer profile so that the prices of products fall and governments have to promote flexible hours and control the price of housing.
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Yes, it is also a problem in Spain due to low salaries compared to
theprice of life.Yes, it is also a problem in Spain due to low salaries compared to cost of living.
I can confirm after checking the birth rate in Spain in 2019 that has declined from 2018 from 2,47% to 1,47% and nowadays in 2020 is about 1,5%
Therefore, Spain is facing the same problem as South Korea, there is a low birth rate. Possibly as a consequence of economical situation, job conditions, society beahaviour evolution, different objectives in live from our ancestors, older population.
There is no clear solution, so for that all the governments in Spain have been trying to encourage the birth rate with different actions, starting from a conciousness raising to all the population, and improving annual taxes for families with more than 3 children who have to pay less taxes. Free nursery school and preference for families with at least 2 children. There was one measure few years ago to donate small amount of money for each children born in that year.
Under those circumstances there is no clear actions to increase the low birth rate, but it could be considered for example:
To benefit retirement pension to person with more than 3 children
Balance work and family
Better job conditions
You did your research! Impressive. Thanks for that. Here is another way to write this sentence using more specific words:
There is no clear solution,
so for that allthe governments in Spain have been trying to encourage the birth rate with different actions, starting fromaconciousness raising to all the population, and improving annual taxes for families with more than 3 children who have to pay less taxes.> There is no clear solution to this issue. The Spanish government has been trying to boost the birthrate with different measures, starting with raising the people/citizens’ awareness on the matter and improving the annual tax rates of families with more than 3 children so they pay less taxes.
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Is a fact that the birthrate in Spain is decreasing year after year.
I would say that the causes associated to it are:
– Life expectancy is higher and lifestyles are diverse – people lives longer and the life aims and objectives are now more diverse and not focus on building a family.
– People wants to build a career and enjoy themselves and their self life before taken the decision of having a baby.
– Technology, Information, women autonomy and empowerment, man and women career demands, , diverse lifestyles and preferences, etc, all aspects that definitely impact in this decreasing ratio.
To slow down the decreasing of the birthrate I would recommend:
– Diverse options to conciliate work / careers with personal life: to combine partial hiring contracts or reduce the labor hours per week (from 40 to 35) increasing flexibility in the work space (last one is already happening).
– Women and Man Co-responsibility -> maternity and paternity leave for father and mother (6 months for mother + 6 months for father) = First 12 months of the baby
– More economical social options to leave your baby while your are working
– Awareness Campaigns explaining the social impact this situation has for all of us
I think Spain have the same problem, because the people have their children too later. There are a lot of young unemployed and a lot of people spend a lot of time in their degrees.
Lows salarys is also a cause whereby the people don’t usualy have more than one child.
The public helps aren’t enough and the services like nursery are expensives and it have non-flexibles schedules .It is very dificult to combine work with children cares.
The solution have two groups :
1-The governments have to help with economical mesures and increase the publics services for care the child.
2-The society have to change, people and the companies must work together becose the problem dont’t put in risk the future.
1- Spain have the same problem, the population is being older every year and also we have low birthrate.
The causes of the problem are:
The people works a lot of hours
The salary are very low in order to perform a big family and for that the people only have a child.
We live more years that 20 years ago, and the coupple take the decision to have a baby latter that our parents.
Solutions:
Increase the minimum salary of the people
Help the families to take care with the childs, for example putting more nurseries in the work places.
Provide servicies related with the possibility to the families they can expend more time with the kids