SEOUL, Nov. 22 (Xinhua) -- Employment rate of South Korean married women living with underage children rose in the first half of this year, statistical office data showed Tuesday.
The hiring rate among married women aged 15-54, who live together with minor children, stood at 57.8 percent in the January-June period, up 1.6 percentage points compared to the same period of last year, according to Statistics Korea.
It marked the highest since relevant data began to be compiled in 2016.
The number of working mothers in the age group was 2,622,000 in the first half, up 16,000 from a year earlier.
A growing number of married women here were encouraged to have jobs amid the rapidly aging population.
The number of married women aged 15-54, who experienced a career break following marriage, was 1,397,000 in the first half, down 51,000 from a year earlier.
Among the women who stopped working after marriage, the highest proportion of 42.8 percent said childrearing is the main reason behind their career break.
It was followed by 26.3 percent saying they stopped working due to getting married and 22.7 percent citing pregnancy and childbirth. ■