A Comparative Analysis on Objective Evaluation and Subjective Perception of Household Economic Structure for Commuting and Non-Commuting Couples

This study analyzed the objective indicators of household economic structures, such as income, expenditure, and debts, as well as a subjective evaluation of economic standards, and compared the households of commuting couples (so called Weekend couples) with those of non-commuting couples. Findings of this study are as follows. First, both husbands and wives in commuter marriages had a higher level of education, were younger, had poorer health, and had shorter working hours than the couples in non-commuter marriages. Second, commuting couples had a significantly higher income than non-commuting couples. In addition, commuting couples had a greater amount of savings, had a higher cost of living, and lower debts than non-commuting couples. Third, commuting couples evaluated their status of household economy more negatively than non-commuting couples. Despite the fact that the commuting couples were more affluent in terms of the objective indicators, including income, savings, and assets, their level of health and psychological well-being were compromised. Lastly, factors determining commuter marriages were the number of years the husband has spent in his job, and the husband's level of education. The shorter the tenure of the husband's job, and the higher the level of husband's education, the more likely the couple was in a commuter marriage.

주말부부 가계와 비주말부부 가계의 객관적, 주관적 경제구조분석 및 비교연구