• Journal of Families and Better Life
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.125-145
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• 2011

The purposes of this study were to examine low-income households' financial statuses and the socio-economic characteristics of single-person and non-single person households according to the financial indexes used for evaluating financial security and growth status developed based on financial ratios. Using 2009 KLIPS(Korean Labor & Income Panel Survey) data collected by the Korean Labor Institute, the satisfaction levels from the indexes were analyzed and compared between the two household types. The results showed that 46.0% of single-person households were not satisfactory in terms of all financial growth indexes but were partially satisfactory in terms of all financial security indexes. These householders tended to be females and in the their 70s, who lived in Seoul or in a suburb of Seoul, Korea. They reported problems with a lack of financial growth possibilities. 47.0% of non-single person households were not satisfactory in terms of all financial growth indexes but were partially satisfactory in terms of all financial security indexes. These householders tended to be males in their 60s and 70s with no job who were living in Seoul or in a suburb of Seoul, Korea. They reported having low level of liquidity and high level of debt redemption. 42.6% of single-person households were not satisfactory in terms of both financial security and growth indexes partially. These householders tended to be females in their 20s or 70s who were living in rural areas. They reported problems related to an adverse balance between household income and expenditures and a large scale of debt. 43.1% of non-single households were not satisfactory in terms of both financial security and growth indexes partially. These householders tended to be males in their 60s or 70s and homeowners. They reported problem related to an adverse balance of household income and expenditures and high a level of housing expenditures and liquidity. The research findings have implication for policy makers considering financial support programs and welfare programs for low-income householders, considering the recent changes in households structures.