Divorced men considering remarriage tend to worry most about the division of assets if they divorce again, while divorced women are more concerned about losing their newfound freedom, a survey by matchmaking agencies showed Tuesday.
The two agencies, Only You and Bien Aller, conducted a joint survey of 648 divorced men and women, asking them what they saw as the biggest obstacle to remarriage.
Men tended to be more concerned about the potential failure of a new marriage, particularly financial issues.
The leading answer among male respondents was concern about the division of assets in the event of another divorce, picked by 31.5 percent. Another 25 percent said they were most concerned about not having enough assets, 22.2 percent cited issues related to children, and 14.2 percent said they were generally afraid of another failed marriage.
Women, however, were more concerned about the restrictions that could come with marriage itself.
Some 43.2 percent said the biggest obstacle was losing their freedom. Another 23.2 percent cited issues related to children, 18.1 percent said they feared another failed marriage, and 10.2 percent were worried about not having enough assets.
Only 5.3 percent of women picked concern over asset division, while only 7.1 percent of men said their biggest concern was losing freedom, showing a clear gender gap in how respondents viewed remarriage.
Officials from Only You said the tendency appears to stem from the fact that many older Koreans still expect men to be primarily responsible for household finances, while women are often expected to be the primary caretakers at home.
Asked what could ease their concerns, 36.1 percent of male respondents said they wanted financial independence within marriage. Another 28.1 percent said they preferred a romantic partnership over legal marriage.
Among women, 33.3 percent said they preferred a romantic partnership over legal marriage, while 28.1 percent said they wanted to check key conditions, such as finances, before choosing a potential spouse. Financial independence within marriage was picked by 13.6 percent of female respondents.
minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com
