Aging and Demographic Shifts in East Asian Countries Attributed to Low Fertility Rate
A Scoping Review
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.32674/9qbds094Keywords:
East Asia, fertility, low fertility, declining fertility, scoping reviewAbstract
East Asian countries have witnessed significant demographic shifts in recent decades widely attributed to an aging population and declining fertility rates. The purpose of this study is to understand the factors that shape the fertility decisions of young adults. Pubmed, EMBASE, APA PsychInfo, Sociological Collection, and Social Sciences Abstracts were searched to retrieve peer-reviewed literature. Two authors screened the retrieved articles, first by title and abstract, then by full text to determine eligibility. A total of 132 studies were included in the final review. This research indicated that East Asian countries are experiencing significant demographic changes characterized by plummeting fertility rates and a burgeoning aging population. Multifaceted factors influencing this demographic shift were identified and categorized into five main factors: socioeconomic conditions, cultural norms and stigma, educational attainment, housing and education costs, work pressure and work-life balance. The study finds that the total fertility rate is undergoing a process of decline globally, especially in East Asian countries. Low fertility rates in East Asian countries are driven by an aging society, socioeconomic conditions, cultural norms, educational attainment, housing costs, and personal reproductive choices.
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