초록
Female-headed household is one of the common family type in the changing Korean society. This study explored and described the coping strategies of poor female household heads who were in struggle with economic, physical, and emotional problems. The data was gathered by in-depth interviews with fifteen poor female heads of households. In the process of qualitative interview and analysis, the coping strategy was emerged as an important theme. The major strategies which the poor female heads had adopted were as follows. First strategy was making up their minds to live as heads of households to keep their children in the fence of family. Second was accepting that any husbands would not be helpful in general. Third was developing independence, which meant providing their families on their own labor without expecting the support from social network or welfare system. Forth strategy was giving the present situation a positive definition: it gave them the emotional comfort.