The number of households in which children are raised by their grandparents has jumped sixfold in 20 years, data showed Tuesday.
According to data collected by the Seoul Metropolitan Government, the number of families in which grandparents raise children instead of their parents rose from some 3,800 in 1995 to more than 23,300 households in 2013. The number is expected to surpass 40,000 by 2023.
The rise in the number of divorces and dual-income families contributed to the expansion of the particular family type, the city government said.
Of those aged 60 and older and living with their children, nearly 47 percent said they do so to provide support for their children.
Grandparent-led families accounted for 0.7 percent of ordinary households last year, and the percentage is expected to increase to 1 percent by 2023.
According to the Population and Households Census in 2010, the number of children aged 12 or under who spent afternoons alone or with their peers was about 45,000. The figure represents about 4 percent of the more than 1 million children in the age group.
Of children younger than 12, around 50 percent were watched by their parents during the week, 22 percent at private education facilities, 15 percent at day care centers and 13 percent by grandparents.
In contrast, those over age 60 who do not live with their children cited comfort as the biggest reason at 35.5 percent. And 34 percent of the surveyed said they live separately because they can afford to do so, while 23 percent said they did not want to burden their children.
koreaherald@heraldcorp.com
