Jeong-A Lee

Fertility intentions and behaviours in the context of changing ideals in South Korea and East Asia

Thesis supervisors: Angela Greulich (Sciences Po - CRIS) and Laurent Toulemon (Ined)
Funding: Sciences Po doctoral contract (2024-2027)

While extensive literature explains South Korea's declining fertility through institutional changes in education, employment, family, and gender systems, no study has thoroughly examined how shifting attitudes and values impact fertility decision-making from a life course perspective. This thesis aims to fill this gap by exploring the mechanisms through which changing attitudes influence fertility intentions and behaviours in South Korea, focusing on individual life courses and cohort variations. By integrating these dynamics into the broader Second Demographic Transition framework, the study seeks to understand the recursive nature of values and fertility decisions among South Korean women. Finally, a comparative analysis of East Asian countries will examine how policies shape family-related values, fertility outcomes, and ideals, offering insights into the interaction between institutional contexts and individual decision-making across regions.

Fertility intentions and behaviours in the context of changing ideals in South Korea and East Asia
 

• 2026 (avec Emmanuel Pont), “Le choix de procréer face à la crise écologique”, Médecine de la Reproduction, vol. 28, n° 1,p. 17-27. 

PRESENTATIONS

• “Less desire for family and high parenting standards : a South Korean dilemma” (poster), Young Demographers, February 2026, Prague.
• “Family Formation attitudes of South Korean Women: A Life Course Perspective”, European Population Conference, June 2026, Bologna.
•  “Attitude Profiles and Fertility Intentions. Impact of Gender and Family norms on Childbearing Plans in South Korea” (poster), Population Association of America (PAA), April 2025, Washington DC.
• "Attitude Profiles and Fertility Intentions. Impact of Gender and Family norms on Childbearing Plans in South Korea’, International Union for the Scientific Study of Population (IPC), July2025, Brisbane.
• “Less desire for family and high parenting standards : a South Korean dilemma” (Best Poster Award), Society for Longitudinal and Lifecourse Studies (SLLS), September 2025, Fribourg.