In the past, the program ‘We Got Married’ was famous. However, nowadays, there is a popular TV program, ‘I Live By Myself’, that shows the lives of people living alone. Times are changing, and also the trends in broadcasting are changing.
  Readers may not be used to the term ‘unmarried people’. What is the definition of ‘unmarried people’? In the past, people who were not married were called singles. Recently, the increase of unmarried people is because of the appearance of ‘celibates’. Celibates are people who think marriage is an option, not an obligation. They have no will to marry and don’t want to. What is the difference between singles and celibates? In the National Institute of the Korean Standards Language an Unabridged Dictionary, it defines ‘non-married’ as not married yet. The word ‘yet’ impresses they are going to marry eventually. However, celibates are not only unmarried, but they also choose to live as a single permanently. What is the reason for the emerging choice of avoiding marriage?
  The first reason is the economic burden of marriage. According to a survey by Trend Monitor, 78.2% of respondents chose, ‘It is impossible to marry without money these days.’ It shows that marrying needs a certain level of economic capacity. Also, some chose the concerns of wedding preparation, like becoming a homeowner or creating a marriage fund. These are economic burdens, and they are the reasons for the increase in celibacy. It is a social atmosphere where a marriage has many requirements. Also, they want to live life for themselves. Bae So-ran(’16, Dept. of Applied Biotechnology) said, “In my workplace, I want to build a career by doing work that I enjoy. After marriage, most women bear the responsibilities of caring for a baby and the housework by themselves. I don’t want to sacrifice my life for a family.” Likewise, many people are realizing that happiness comes from self-improvement rather than from the sacrifices for a family. Moreover, it is too difficult to find a suitable partner. In the same survey, 84.4% of respondents agreed that ‘To find suitable partner is difficult.’ Until recently, many people were able to meet a prospective partner. However, with the average lifespan lengthening, people may live with a partner for more than 50 years, and it is difficult to find a partner if they don’t have a conviction of being able to find a suitable partner. It shows that people don’t think of marriage as a duty. They think that they don’t need to go through an unhappy marriage with a partner who was forced to get married by the people around them.
  Byeon Su-jeong, a researcher of the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs, said “It is important to consider people who pursue celibacy as one type of member in society. We should discuss providing an institutional strategy with a long-term view.” The vague fantasy of a storybook wedding is no longer viable because of the social mood that marriage is an option. Recently, the trend is to perceive that the most important thing is one’s own life. The free will not to get married must be respected naturally. Any options in people’s lives depend on what they want and choose to do.

By Kim Chae-Hyeon l ch38@cbnu.ac.kr
Illustraed by Park Han-na