Number of Seoul's stay-at-home fathers surges 125 pct since 2005

SEOUL, July 24 (Yonhap) -- The number of full-time househusbands in Seoul grew 125 percent over the past five years, reflecting rapidly changing gender roles in Korean society, official data showed Sunday. The data released by the Seoul Metropolitan Government said the number of stay-at-home fathers engaged in housekeeping and childcare in the capital city totaled 36,000 last year, up sharply from 16,000 in 2005. During the five-year period, the number of Seoul's economically inactive people increased 12.5 percent, while the number of full-time housewives increased 6.1 percent, the data said. The number of single men in their 30s who live with their parents in Seoul reached 198,198 last year, up 87.3 percent from a decade ago. Seoul men's average age for their first marriage was tallied at 32.2 in 2010, up from 29.7 in 2000.