A Qualitative Study on Multi-child Families' Investment in Human Capital

The objective of this study is to identify the significance of haying many children, their motive of childbirth, patterns of investment in human capital, and their expectations of their children. For this purpose, thirteen mothers of multi-child families have been interviewed in depth. Key findings of the study are as follows. First, the significance of children in many-child families varied. The fundamental features were: symbol of strong ties between God and humans, proud existence displayable to others about their level of happiness, and a means of defining their identity. Second, the typical motives of the majority of interviewees to have many children were "unplanned" but "natural accommodation and adaptation." Third, striking aspects, in terms of many-child families' investment in human capital were to consider many-child families to be a community in itself as a great environment of teaming and to have to deal with issues of limits and impartiality when allocating resources of a limited income and parents' time. Fourth, expectations of parents for their children were "normal growth" and mediocrity, and they cited intangible human assets as the greatest gift to their children. This study will hopefully offer a new analytical perspective to the growing concerns of low birth rates and excessive zeal of parents for their children's education, and thereby lay the groundwork of methodological approaches for resolving such social problems.

다자녀 가족의 인적자본 투자에 관한 질적연구