Among those in their 20s and 30s in South Korea, those who have a permanent job or own a real estate are more likely to pursue a romantic relationship, a study revealed, showing economic power is a key factor influencing one’s dating and marriage prospects.

A study by the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs polled 3,002 people aged between 25 and 39 from Aug. 31-Sept. 13 in 2018.

The chances of dating for those who own a property increased by 27.9 percentage points compared to if they were without a house, the results showed. The figure was 28.8 percentage points higher for women and 25.9 percentage points higher for men.

Those who purchased their homes independently without their parents’ help were a lot more willing to get married, the report showed, with the tendency more noticeable among men.

The willingness to tie the knot for unmarried men who purchased their property without their parents’ financial support was 83.6 percentage points higher than those who were given a helping hand. For women who bought their homes independently, the willingness to get married was 43.6 percentage points higher than those who didn’t.

Among employed workers, homeownership was not a major factor in affecting their willingness to date someone, the report said. Their chances of dating someone were 2.6 times higher than those unemployed -- 2.8 times higher for men and 2.3 times for women.

The more money they earned, the more likely they were to date. Those who had irregular, temporary jobs marked a 41.4 percentage points lower chance of being in a romantic relationship. Their willingness to walk down the aisle was 42.9 percentage points lower.

Men with irregular jobs were much less willing to get married, scoring 53.5 percentage points lower than men with permanent jobs. Women with irregular jobs were also less willing to tie the knot, at 26.2 percentage points lower than those with full-time jobs.

“There are many cases in which people give up on getting married for economic reasons and other various reasons,” the report said, adding that decisions on marriage were not entirely a personal choice.

The report underscored the need for a “comprehensive” understanding of why the younger generation choose to shun dating and marriage in order to come up with solutions to tackle the low birth rate.

By Ock Hyun-ju (laeticia.ock@heraldcorp.com)