Back to home pageJULY 1992 - VOLUME 21, NUMBER 1
93.33.01 - English - Mahn-Geum OHN
Modernization, Social Cleavage and Political Integration (p. 1-22)
The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between political integration and social cleavage structure. The author reviews major theoretical perspectives and then suggests a modified explanation of social cleavage and its political implications. He finds that regionalized social cleavage is responsible for such historical events as internal wars and separations, which are an extreme form of political disintegration. By applying the pooled cross-section time-series design to longitudinal data, the author also finds that the major factors of political disintegration are regionalized cleavage, minority rule and political discrimination. In addition, economic growth clearly interacts with the regional patterns of social cleavage. This paper has several implications for future studies. Studies of political integration should explicitly take into account the regional patterns of social cleavage. Regionalized cleavage not only affects integration directly, but it also interacts with other factors. Therefore, future studies should not assume that many factors mentioned in literature would have an additive effect. (SOCIAL STRATIFICATION, SOCIAL CONFLICTS, INTERREGIONAL)
93.33.02 - English - Pyong Gap MIN
Korean Immigrant Wives' Overwork (p. 23-36)
The primary objective of this paper is to demonstrate, based on interviews with 298 Korean married women in New York City, the extent to which Korean immigrant wives overwork. It also analyzes the factors which contribute to the differentials in these wives' share of housework. An overwhelming majority of the women are involved in excessively long hours of work, compared to their husbands. Moreover, they are responsible for most of the housework. As a result, they spend some twelve hours per week more than their working husbands. As expected, the amount of time Korean immigrant wives spend on paid work and the number of their cohabiting extra adult members significantly reduce their share of housework. The years of education the wives received has a moderate, but statistically significant, negative effect on their proportion of housework. However, neither their length of residence in the US nor gender role attitudes have a significant effect on their share of housework. (UNITED STATES, IMMIGRANTS, WOMEN'S ROLE, ETHNIC GROUPS)
93.33.03 - English - Edward T. CHANG
Building Minority Coalitions: A Case Study of Korean and African Americans (37-56)
Since the early 1980s, Korean-African American conflicts have emerged as one of the most explosive issues of urban America. In the context of economic despair, many African Americans have perceived Korean merchants as "aliens" who have "taken over" their community. In order to alleviate and prevent tension between the two communities, Los Angeles County Human Relations Commission convened a meeting between the two communities and formed the Black Korean Alliance (BKA) in 1986. The primary purpose of the BKA was to disseminate positive information and take preventive measures. Despite attempts, tension escalated in 1991 when two African American customers were shot and killed by a Korean American merchant in two separate incidents. Therefore, it is extremely important for us to learn from the failures of the BKA. Korean American and African American relations are like a "keg of dynamite" ready to explode. The real challenge for Korean Americans and African Americans is how to forge coalition by maximizing common bonds while minimizing differences, before it is too late. (UNITED STATES, ETHNIC MINORITIES, CONFLICTS)
93.33.04 - English - Jeong-Hee PARK
Exploring an Analytical Model of Urban Housing Strata (p. 57-72)
An analytical model of urban housing strata, based on Morris's and Winter's "Housing Adjustment Model", is examined to investigate housing conditions and housing behaviour of urban families. Family-related variables as well as physical conditions of housing are incorporated into the model through the concept of a housing norm which is expected to vary with family characteristics. Housing strata are grouped by collapsing housing strata scores into four categories: upper, upper middle, lower middle, and lower strata. Housing strata are highly correlated with respondents' housing characteristics and socio-economic attributes such as husband's and wife's education and family income, but not highly associated with family characteristics. This study suggests that the housing stratum is more useful than other status variables in explaining housing behaviour. (MODELS, HOUSING, URBAN ENVIRONMENT)
93.33.05 - English - Doo-Seung HONG
Spatial Distribution of the Middle Classes in Seoul, 1975-1985 (p. 73-84)
This paper examines the degree of inter-class residential segregation in urban Korea by looking at the middle class concentration in Seoul during the period 1975-1985. Discussion is focused on how the pattern of distribution of the middle class households changed during this period. Using the two percent sample of the Population and Housing Censuses, spatial distribution of the middle class is explored. Recognizing that sharp residential segregation by social class is a more recent phenomenon, this paper implies that segregation deepens the gap between housing classes and the gap, in turn, may facilitate the segregation of residence. (KOREA (REPUBLIC OF), POPULATION DISTRIBUTION, MIDDLE CLASS)
93.33.06 - English - Youn-Suk KIM
Korea's Technology Policy for Industrialization: Imported Technology for Economic Development (p. 85-98)
This paper examines the ways in which Korea's industrial technology has been developed from imported technology. The major feature of Korean technological policy was the fostering of indigenous technology through research centres established for both the public and private sectors. Conspicuous in its policy is the stress on a factor mix in which labour is the dominant element. Having achieved successful industrialization, Korea faces the problems in meeting competition from countries with more efficient industries, as well as those with lower labour costs. Korea has to promote its own technological innovation, complemented by imported technology. (KOREA (REPUBLIC OF), INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT)
DECEMBER 1992 - VOLUME 21, NUMBER 2
93.33.07 - English - Hyunju KIM
Gender Role Equity and Marital Satisfaction among Korean Couples (p. 99-120)
This study examines gender role behaviours and attitudes related to marital satisfaction. Non-traditional attitudes and behaviours are expected to affect marital satisfaction negatively due to the lack of guidelines and to the other positive alternatives to marital roles. Data, collected from a survey of 291 married couples in Seoul, Korea, in 1991, largely support the hypotheses, which are fairly consistent with the results of studies of American couples. Non-traditional gender role attitudes and wife's employment are related to lower marital satisfaction. However, the housekeeper role has changed somewhat more than the male provider role, so that non-traditional tendencies, in attitudes and behaviours, with respect to the housekeeper role, have been related to higher marital satisfaction. Findings of this study show that measures of actual division of household labour are better related to marital satisfaction than are measures of perceived division of household labour. The consistent trends in marital satisfaction in Korea compared with those in the United States suggest a future high marital instability in Korea. (KOREA (REPUBLIC OF), MEN'S ROLE, WOMEN'S ROLE, SATISFACTION)
93.33.08 - English - Hyun Sook KIM and Pyong Gap MIN
The Post-1965 Korean Immigrants: Their Characteristics and Settlement Patterns (p. 121-144)
Although Korean-American immigration history covers nearly one hundred years, the Korean-American community before 1965 was almost negligible in terms of population size. It was the 1965 Immigration and Naturalization Act that contributed to an influx of Korean immigrants to the United States. This paper overviews the post-1965 immigration, immigration motives and characteristics of the new immigrants, and their settlement patterns. (UNITED STATES, IMMIGRANTS, ETHNIC MINORITIES, HABITAT)
93.33.09 - English - Daniel Boo Duck LEE
Divided Korean Families: Why Does it Take so Long to Remedy the Unhealed Wounds? (p. 145-174)
This paper examines the issues of psycho-social impact and consequences resulting from the Korean conflict on the lives of ten million Korean families. The suffering and unresolved grief of those who lived in the hope of family reunion and reunification of their divided motherland have increased as the older generations are either already gone or dying fast while the younger generations become disconnected from their intergenerational continuity. Case studies are used to assess intergenerational patterns of prolonged separation and loss associated with family dispersal. Special attention is given to the discussion of remedial strategies for national and international networks of family advocacy and healing processes. (KOREA (REPUBLIC OF), WAR, BREADWINNERS)
93.33.10 - English - Mee Kyung SUH
The Elderly Population in Korea: Their Health Status and Kin-based Social Support (p. 175-196)
The recent social concern about the elderly in Korea revolves around the gradual decline of the extended family as the prime institution for supporting the elderly. However, the results of the author's in-depth analysis of the Korean elderly's mental and physical health as well as the minimal social security mechanisms for the aged population signal that most Korean elderly still turn to their families for both instrumental and affective support. The sustained importance of kin support under rapid socio-economic modernization not only differentiates the Korean situation from the Western experience, but also suggests a different way of coping with the growing aged population. (KOREA (REPUBLIC OF), AGED, HEALTH STATUS, SOCIAL SECURITY)
93.33.11 - English - Hongsook EU
Health Status and Social and Demographic Determinants of Living Arrangements Among the Korean Elderly (p. 197-224)
This study explores a critical issue related to ageing - living arrangements of the elderly and the factors that influence these arrangements. The study uses the 1984 Korean Elderly Survey and findings from previous studies on living arrangements and draws on cultural factors and particular situations in Korea. Hypotheses are tested using logit analyses. Results indicate that the living arrangements of the Korean elderly reflect gender-role differences in care giving and performance of household activities, primary care-giving or support relations in old age and family cycle stage. Being married is far more advantageous for men than for women at old ages, since the wife continues to take care of the husband and household work. Severe disability of the wife seriously limits the couples' ability to live independently, while husband's disability imposes a less imminent need for co-residence, as long as the wife can take care of him and there are no other serious difficulties facing the couple. Elderly persons' economic resources are the greatest determinant of their living arrangements, due in part to poor public assistance programmes, the high cost of housing, typical extravagant spending on children's weddings and education, and early retirement. The second strongest determinant is the availability of a son. The absence of a son greatly increases the likelihood of not living with their children, even among the elderly who have daughters, which indicates the persistence of the patriarchal family system in Korea. Availability of unmarried children is closely related to living with these children only, in order to avoid household crowding and due to these children's dependency on parents. (KOREA (REPUBLIC OF), AGED, HEALTH STATUS, LIVING CONDITIONS)
93.33.12 - English - Young In SONG
Life Satisfaction of the Korean American Elderly from a Socio-Psychological Analysis (p. 225-242)
This study examines the impact of socio-psychological factors on the life satisfaction of 104 Korean persons aged 55 and older in the San Francisco Bay Area. There has continued to be steady growth in the overall population of persons 65 years of age and older in American society and Koreans are no exception. This increase in the elderly population poses serious problems in the American youth-oriented society. Although problems for the elderly are very serious, they are more so for the Korean elderly because of the cultural and language barriers they experience. Although they have been studied and assessed, factors that increase life satisfaction have eluded identification and measurement. Most researchers use life satisfaction, morale and happiness indifferently. The problem with using these three terms interchangeably is that they blur significant conceptual distinctions. This study contributes to the data base by examining selected variables - social activity, socio-economic status, marital status, health, religion and reminiscence - which may influence the life satisfaction of the Korean American elderly. (UNITED STATES, AGED, ETHNIC GROUPS, SATISFACTION)
93.33.13 - English - Joon Shik PARK
Social Attitudes of Korea's New Middle Class: Focusing on the White Collar Workers of Big Companies (p. 243-257)
This paper aims to clarify the confusion in the interpretation of social attitudes of the new middle class in Korea. Previous studies are not only limited in perspectives, but they are confined to a narrow scope of political issues in a given period. In particular, the argument that the attitudes of the new middle class have a progressive character has misunderstood the complex and contradictory structure of their consciousness. The author questions the validity of the thesis that the new middle class is among one of the most progressive social forces in Korea. The empirical studies on the middle class so far have exaggerated its progressive character. Rather, a multi-dimensional cleavage structure has been observed: social attitudes of the new middle class are dualistic, selective, discontinuous and even contradictory. (KOREA (REPUBLIC OF), MIDDLE CLASS, ATTITUDE)
JULY 1993 - VOLUME 22, NUMBER 1
93.33.14 - English - Jaeyeol YEE
The Formation and Reproduction of Self-Employment in a Developing Economy: An Analysis of Job-Shift Rates in the South Korean Urban Labor Market (p. 1-22)
In South Korea, where the economy is undergoing rapid increase, over 30% of the non-agricultural jobs are still in the independent sector of the economy. Using the occupational trajectories of 445 people, the author analyses the transition rates between the independent sector and the salaried and syndicated sector. When a person leaves salaried employment, he has equal chances of finding new employment in the two sectors, but the person who leaves self-employment is more likely to become a salaried worker, particularly if he has not been successful in self-employment. There is no obstacle to access to the independent sector, but finding another job in the independent sector means a selection and competition process. The author examines the theoretical and methodological implications of these results. (KOREA (REPUBLIC OF), SELF-EMPLOYED, OCCUPATIONAL MOBILITY)
93.33.15 - English - Ee-Hwan JUNG
The Rise of the Labor Movement and the Development of Internal Labor Market in the Korean Manufacturing Industry (p. 23-42)
Since 1987 in Korea, the development of the labor movement has resulted in a segmentation of the labour market for blue-collar workers and the development of an internal labor market within businesses. The employment stability of the workers in large-sized enterprises has increased and the salary gaps between businesses of different sizes have increased. Male blue-collar workers in large enterprises prefer to stay with the same employer rather than move from one business to another. One of the determinants of segmentation is the fact that Korean trade unions are enterprise trade unions. The author attempts to elucidate the characteristics of the internal labour market in Korea by analysing practices relating to employment. One of its most important aspects is the considerable stability of employment and the rarity of temporary work which results in a certain rigidity of the use of manpower. But employers can, to a certain extent, regulate the volume of employment through practices such as moving workers and modulating their working hours. Looking for functional stability or the flexibility of specialisations through polyvalent manpower are not common practices in Korea. (KOREA (REPUBLIC OF), EMPLOYMENT POLICY, LABOUR MARKET)
93.33.16 - English - Hyung-Je JO
1980-1992) (Strategic Options for the Korean Auto Industry in Response to the Emerging New Production System, 1980-1992 (p. 43-68)
(KOREA (REPUBLIC OF), INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT, INDUSTRIAL SECTOR)
93.33.17 - English - Myoung-Jin LEE
Asian-Born Scientists and Engineers: Their Immigration Flow and Labor Market Adjustment (p. 69-88)
The author begins by describing the main factors which influence the immigration of Asian-born scientists and engineers to the United States: supply, demand and the institutional context. Supply has two sources: foreign students and direct immigrants. The shortage of home-born manpower is the main determinant of the supply of immigrant manpower. The institutional environment, like the immigration policies, also has an impact on migratory flows. Furthermore, these three factors are related. Using the data of the 1980 US Census, the author studies labour market adaptation through the use of hourly wages. There is nothing to indicate that Asian-born scientists and engineers are any less well paid than American-born Whites. Nor is there anything to indicate that their position in the labour market, marked by the handicap of either their race or their origin, has any effect on their salaries. (UNITED STATES, ASIA, BRAIN DRAIN)
County Town-"Jian-Zhi" Town Differentials and Migration to Towns in China (p. 89-118)
In the framework of an in-depth study of urbanisation in China, this article studies the structural differentials between the county towns and the "jian-zhi" towns, included together in official statistics under the heading of "towns". Data from the 1987 survey on the towns of Inner Mongolia show that the county towns are extremely different from the other "jian-zhi" towns with regard to registration methods, occupational structures and migration patterns. Since 1949, Chinese urbanisation has been highly differentiated from that of other countries, in particular due to its economic system and its migration control policy. The author studies the specific nature of Chinese urbanisation which gives some clues for understanding the Chinese social system. (CHINA, URBANIZATION, INTERNAL MIGRATION)
93.33.19 - English - Kwang-Hee JUN
Anti-Nuclear Protest and the Public Acceptance Program: A Sociological Experiment on Anmyon Island, Korea (p. 119-135)
(KOREA (REPUBLIC OF), ENERGY SOURCES, ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY, MASS COMMUNICATION)
DECEMBER 1993 - VOLUME 22, NUMBER 2
93.33.20 - English - Kyuhan BAE
A Theoretical Approach to Industrial Conflict in a Rapidly Industrializing Country: The Korea Case (p. 137-154)
(KOREA (REPUBLIC OF), INDUSTRIALIZATION, LABOUR DISPUTES, THEORETICAL MODELS)
93.33.21 - English - Do-Hyun HAN
Capitalist Landownership and State Policy in 1989-1990 in Korea (p. 155-166)
(KOREA (REPUBLIC OF), LAND TENURE, OWNERSHIP, GOVERNMENT POLICY)
93.33.22 - English - Pyong Gap MIN and Youna CHOI
Ethnic Attachment Among Korean-American High School Students (p. 167-180)
The authors study the intensity of the feeling of ethnic attachment among Korean-American high-school students, considered to be a typical example of descendants of immigrants who arrived in the United States after 1965. 170 Korean-American high-school students in New York were interviewed and demonstrated a high level of assimilation into the American culture and a low rate of attachment to Korean culture. And yet, these students prefer to choose their best friends and their boy- or girlfriends from amongst other Koreans. The fact of being born in the United States and of living there for a long time significantly reduces the feeling of attachment to the country of origin's culture, but not the social attachment to the ethnic group. This confirms Gordon's hypothesis according to which the cultural assimilation of some minority groups does not automatically lead to their social assimilation. The degrees of cultural attachment vary with the social environment: the students interviewed generally need the Korean language, their Korean name and knowledge of Korean cooking at home, and quite frequently in their places of worship also, but this is less the case at school. The nature of the sample restricts the possibility of generalisation, but these results still prove to be significant indicators of assimilation patterns and ethnic attachment which other coloured immigrant groups could adopt in the future. (UNITED STATES, KOREA (REPUBLIC OF), SECOND GENERATION MIGRANTS, MIGRANT ASSIMILATION)
93.33.23 - English - Youn-Suk KIM and Frank NAUGHTON
Koreans in the United States: Economic Achievement and Assimilation (p. 181-196)
Koreans who emigrated to the United States from 1965 to 1990 rapidly gained a solid economic footing in their host society. Many have succeeded as entrepreneurs and directors in small businesses, as have others in the liberal professions. Their economic success can be measured in terms of their individual income and the income of their household, the shares in commercial enterprises which they own and the growth of their commercial incomes. Such exceptional success is due to various aspects of American society and Korean society which the authors both identify and analyse. The significance of this phenomenon for the insertion of Koreans into American society is studied and the authors evaluate the relevance of various integration processes which sociologists will be familiar with, including assimilation and insertion into the labour market. They conclude that more time and further research are required in order to determine the manner in which American Koreans are going to make their place in their new society. (UNITED STATES, KOREA (REPUBLIC OF), IMMIGRANTS, MIGRANT ASSIMILATION)
93.33.24 - English - Jang-Young LEE
The Change of Educational Earnings Inequality (p. 197-214)
Using a decomposition analysis, the author studies trends in the effect of the education level in six occupational categories between 1986 and 1989 in Korea. Previous works showed that earnings inequality has resulted from the fact that incomes are very similar throughout each category in industry, in each occupation and in each size of enterprise, but not for each level of education. However, when occupation is controlled for, there are education level-specific differentials in the trend towards evolution. On the one hand, in the civil service and the service industries, income differentials by education level increased most unexpectedly from 1986 to 1989 due to increased variations in income within each educational level category. Then, within the liberal professions and production industries, the opposite phenomenon reduced any inequalities. Finally, in office jobs and commerce, inequalities have decreased following a reduction in the range of annual salaries in the various classes of education level. (KOREA (REPUBLIC OF), WAGE LEVEL, LEVELS OF EDUCATION, SOCIO-ECONOMIC DIFFERENTIALS)
93.33.25 - English - Seyoug KANG
Differences in the Process of Earnings Determination and Inequality Between Women and Men in South Korea (p. 215-238)
This article studies the process of determination of workers' earnings and evaluates the explanatory power of the human capital and sexual discrimination theory with regard to income inequality between males and females on the South-Korean labour market. The author studies a set of period and chronological data covering all non-agricultural occupations over a period of 14 years. He undertakes two distinct regression analyses for females and for males with two-stage weighted least squares techniques. The results show that the level of training and holding diplomas have the expected positive effects on total income. The proportion of females in the occupation has a negative impact on the incomes of both sexes, but women are penalised four times more by the fact that they share their occupation with other women. And yet, when the occupational categories are controlled for, sexual discrimination is no longer an important determinant of the decrease in female income. Income inequality between males and females has slowly declined during the 14-year study period while female incomes increased more than those of males. (KOREA (REPUBLIC OF), INCOME, SEX DISCRIMINATION)
93.33.26 - English - Joung-Hwa KIM
Internal Structure of the Health Maintenance Organization and Quality of Care (p. 239-256)
The author studies the effects of the structural organisation of health systems on their efficacity and, in particular, on the quality of care. The classical typology of health systems is supposed to be incapable of explaining the observed differences in efficacity. Using an empirical test on 36 health systems, the author demonstrates that the theoretical framework he has devised from a rational contingency model of formal organisation is better adapted to explaining differences in the efficacity of health systems than the classical typology. (HEALTH SERVICES, EVALUATION, THEORETICAL MODELS)
Back to home page