Why is it difficult to achieve the ideal number of children? Answers in the case of South Korea

This paper examines the role of micro-level gender equity in explaining low fertility. Building on Peter McDonald’s (2000a; 2000b) theory of gender equity, I expand the concept of gender equity to micro-level by incorporating individual lived experience, attitudes associated with gender roles, and women’s household decision making ability. I select South Korea as a case study in which both institutional forces of lowest-low fertility and massive social and economic changes come into play in shaping women’s childbearing behavior. I address the following two research questions: What are the factors that influence women’s fertility goal attainment over time? Does micro-level gender equity play a large role? This paper is based on three waves of the Korean Longitudinal Survey of Women & Families from 2007 to 2010. These results can expand upon McDonald, and enhance the ways in which how gender equity can be better conceptualized and operationalized for studies of fertility variations across individuals, even within a single context with lowest-low fertility. The individual-level investigation highlighting the role of micro-level gender equity may provide insights into women’s resilience in making larger family preferences within the institutional context that support lowest-low fertility.