One out of every 6 South Korean married women suffers from career interruption due mainly to child-rearing, marriage and pregnancy, data showed.

The number of married women aged 15-54 who stopped working came to 1.35 million as of April, accounting for around 17 percent of the total 7.94 million married women in the age group, according to data from Statistics Korea.

This year’s number of career-interrupted women fell 3.45 percent on-year, or 48,000, because the total female population of the age group has fallen by 159,000, the agency said.

Among the married women who quit their jobs, the largest proportion of 42 percent cited child-rearing as the primary reason for their decision.

Some 26 percent said they stopped working due to getting married, followed by 23 percent for pregnancy and childbirths, and 4 percent for their child’s education. (Yonhap)