• Korean Journal of Social Welfare
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• v.59 no.3
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• pp.125-146
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• 2007

The purpose of this study is to investigate whether "the feminization of poverty" is under process in Korea and what factors are key determinants of these trends. The Korean Labor and Income Panel Study from 1998 to 2005 is used and the sample includes all individuals who aged 18 or more. The results show that the feminization of poverty is still under process since 1998 and the economic status of females is getting worse compared to their counterparts. Regarding the causes of these trends, the level of education and type of employment are significant predictors for explaining the feminization of poverty in cross-sectional data analysis. In the longitudinal analysis, however, the number of persons in households and the number or working persons have significant influences on the feminization of poverty. It is urgently necessary to enact social policies preventing discriminations against females in the labor markets and to introduce social welfare benefits for females based on citizenship. In addition, the welfare benefits for the elderly are also necessary because their economic status is the worst among all age groups.

• Korean Journal of Social Welfare
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• v.59 no.4
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• pp.191-216
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• 2007

This study focuses on the problem of feminization of poverty that is formed within family relations. In order to approach this question, this study analyses the process of becoming poor through the life stories of ten woman are now heads of a household. There are differences among the study participants in the process of becoming a member of a low-income class. I have classified them into two groups depending on the routes they are led into the low-income class; one is the continuation of poverty group, and the other is the new members of the low-income class group. The continuation of poverty group is the case where they have been poor since their childhood and are still poor in their adulthood. The new members of the low-income class group is the case where you have become a low-income class sometime around divorce. The difference of the groups are related to the differences of the ways the power relationships work within a family. Women head of a household are prone to poverty because of the discrimination in formation, distribution and control of resources in their original family and their family formed by marriage. The norm of male breadwinner worked as a discrimination device. But this kind of discrimination device showed differences in their workings according to class. The continuation of poverty group experienced exclusion in the gendered responsibility of supporting the family and maintaining the family, whereas the other group experienced exclusion through the gendered nature of the distribution and control of resources. By showing that the presupposition of discussions on the poverty of woman head of a household is false, these findings challenge the existing view that as long as 'The Family' is maintained women will not be poor.

• Korean Journal of Social Welfare
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• v.59 no.2
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• pp.143-169
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• 2007

The major purpose of this study was to offer a comprehensive analysis of the changing trends and causes of poverty among urban wage earners' households from 1995 to 2005. In order to do that, this study used the micro data of "Income and Expenditure Survey of Urban Households" by the National Statistical Office(NSO) and GEE(Generalized estimating equation) regression model which is know as an appropriate method for the longitudinal and clustering data. The results show that (1) the numbers of poverty rate and poverty gap in recent years are even getting seriously worse than those in the IMF crisis. (2) Main characteristics of poor are female headed, old aged, low educated households, and having atypical working position. (3) Major determinants of poverty are also related to the variables as mentioned the above. (4) However, poverty reduction effect of public transfer increased preferably in recent years.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.20 no.5
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• pp.222-235
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• 2020

This study examines the poverty progress and its factors which drove the lives of the middle-aged men in Chokbang area. The observed examples are the retired government officials and the self-employed who have been classified as the ones in the economically-middle class but currently as the welfare recipients. According to the results of in-depth interview and observation, the poverty of the observed has undergone the progress of trigger, worsening, breakup, desperation and stabilizing stages. The poverty factors found in this study could be categorized into two factors; circumstantial factors(bankruptcy after IMF, debt guarantee for relatives) and inner factors(the participants' behavior and characteristics). The circumstantial factors worked mainly in the trigger stage and the inner factors contributed to worsening economic crisis and facilitating the progress. According to the result, this study suggests not only individual-scale measures such as encouragement of familial bond or medical treatment of the alcoholism but also social measures including proper regulation of shark loan and opportunity supply to exit from poverty.

• Korean Journal of Social Welfare
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• v.56 no.2
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• pp.167-194
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• 2004

This paper examine the gender-poverty gap and the feminization of poverty in Korea with using data from the National Survey Household Income & Expenditure(1996, 2000) and the Urban Survey Household Income & Expenditure(1996-2002) by Korea National Statistical Office. The poverty rate in 2000 was 16.9 percent for female-head families and 7.9 percent for male-head families, which means that female-head families were 2.6 times more likely to be poor than male-head families. With examining impact of economic crisis in 1998 on gender-poverty gap, it show that both the poverty rate of female-head and male-head increase radically in peak of economic crisis, while, in the stage of recovering economy, the poverty rate of male-head families recovered mostly the level before economic crisis, but that of female-head families recover only the 2/3 level before and the 1/3 remain still under poverty. Thus gender-poverty gap appeared bigger during passing through economic crisis. With analyzing on influence factors of poverty, it appear that poverty is influenced by gender itself as well as education level, working condition which is reflected substantially characteristics of gender. Such an analysis results mean that the considering gender dimension is necessary to resolve poverty fundamentally because gender is a point intersection among family, labour market, and social security. Therefore it appears certain that to develop and adopt of women-friendly social policy is effective approach, which could resolve poverty and social problems related to social rights.

• Korean Journal of Social Welfare
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• v.53
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• pp.51-73
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• 2003

In the context of dramatic change in the formation of the Korean family, this study attempts to examine the role of social safety net in family disruption. This study selected 366 individuals who experienced family disruption, mainly divorce and separation, using the 1996 Panel of Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP). Methodologically, due to the absence of proper longitudinal data in korea for the purpose of this study, the study analyzed the SIPP and attempted to provide policy implications for Korea. Findings of the current study confirmed that women with children experienced severe economic decline upon family disruption. American social safety net was insufficient to protect mother with children from poverty. Findings imply that Korea needs to develop public policies to protect mother-only-families, who experienced family disruption, from poverty. Expanding and reforming the eligibility of public assistance can be an important policy recommendation. A strong guideline for awarding child support, an active labor market policy, and EITC may have a positive effect on increasing the income of mother-only-families.

• International Area Studies Review
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.71-96
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• 2017

This study analyzes the process of overcoming the impoverishment due to the failure of North Korea planned economy through marketization. Recognizing the economic policy presented by the convergence of market and planned economy system as a economy system and focusing on the 7.1 Economic Management Measures and the 6.28 New Economic Management Measures. The marketization is classified the indigenous marketization (1990-2001), the marketization focusing on central distribution (2002-2011), the marketization focusing on production (2012-2017). The major events, the economic circular structure and the economic behavior were analyzed. Results showed as following: First, through the process of marketization starting from the expansion of farmers' market and the marketization focusing on distribution, the marketization focusing on production to the marketization focusing on finance. And as the evolution of it continues, to some extent a poverty has been overcomed. Second, corporate institutions, agricultural institutions, financial institutions and progress in becoming a market economy direction. A series of privatization starting from small one to large-scale one have been progressing. Third, in order to overcome the impoverishment completely. Through foreign investment the industrialization covering a wide range of industries are urgently needed, Domestic agricultural reform, enterprise reform, price reform, financial reform, financial reform, trade and direct investment, reform, reform, distribution, etc are needed. The economic reforms across almost all sectors are needed to be combined in a global economy Expanding employment, the acquisition of foreign currencies and the acquisition of technology in the process should also be realized. The direction of change of this series of economic structures has turned Public sector and centralized into Private sector and Decentralization.

• 한국사회정책
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.113-150
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• 2017

This study analyzes how workers become impoverished and have their jobs less stabilized after they suffer from non-job-related sickness. Given that South Korea lacks sickness benefits, which most of OECD member states legislate and implement except US and Switzerland, this study examines its impact on laborers' job stability and povertization in Korea. The researchers have conducted in-depth interviews with nine former or present laborers who have the experiences and four experts on the issue in July-September, 2017 for the qualitative analysis. It is found that laborers, after becoming aware of their sickness, at first endure their pain without informing their employers not to lose their jobs. The attititude is observed especially among non-standard laborers, because sickness more often leads to job loss for them than for standard laborers. After workers have to leave their jobs due to their sickness in the end, they have no choice but to keep working in less stable jobs to compensate for income losses. They become gradually impoverished with their social capital like family bond declining. We observe laborers who are eligible for industrial accident insurance compensation could not benefit from the system because some employers refrain from the legal reporting duty. Due to this illegal practices, some industrial accident victims unduly lose their jobs due to "non-job-related sickness". Second, some employers report to the authority that their sick laborers have left their jobs 'voluntarily' even when they have quitted it without their volition, in which case the newly unemployed are not eligible for unemployment benefits. Large holes in Korea's safety nets for those suffering from multiple risks of sickness and unemployment.

• Proceedings of the KGS Conference
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• 2004.05a
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• pp.69-69
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• 2004

지난 40여 년간 고도성장을 통한 분배효과는 우리나라 사회의 계층구조의 형성에 주요한 기제로 작용하였으며, 적어도 1980년대까지는 긍정적인 영향을 행사한 것으로 이해된다. 그러나 1990년대에 시작하여 외환위기이후 본격적으로 시작된 소득 분극화의 진행은 소득격차의 가속화와 신빈곤의 구조화라는 심각한 사회문제를 야기하게 되었다. 이러한 소득의 분극화와 신빈곤의 형성에 가장 중요하게 작용하는 것은 바로 노동시장 내 질적이면 양적인 구조적 변화이다. (중략)

• Korean Journal of Social Welfare Studies
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• v.44 no.1
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• pp.61-87
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• 2013

The main purpose of this paper is to analyze the quality of life of poor women. This study utilized data combined KLIPS with Time Use Survey for an analysis and analyzed time at the intersection of the class and gender. With discretionary time as center, this study investigated poverty status from the quality of life. And in order to make comparison more clearly, object was classified into 4 groups; non-poor male, poor male, non-poor female and poor female. Study results are as follows; First of all, poor women had the shortest discretionary time among all the groups and also had highest poverty rate of living quality. And this study found that deprivation of non-poor female headed householder is serious. Second, analysis of inequality level between and within groups through Theil index indicated that gender influence in poor strata was 3 times higher than that of non-poor strata. This study found that poor women experienced mixed exclusion at the point where gender and class crossed. And this study also has a meaning that an empirical analysis was conducted through above matters on secondary poverty and hidden poverty of poor women which existing researches were unable to discover.