• Journal of Family Resource Management and Policy Review
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.53-78
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• 2021

The concept of household labor is composed of housework and family care, and it provides a framework for understanding daily life from the perspective of work-life balance. The purpose of this study was to investigate the household labor time of Korean adults by gender and generation over the last 20 years. Data was taken from the five Statistics Korea Life Time Surveys from 1999 (t1) to 2019 (t5) (n=69,196). The major results are as follows: first, gender and generation were found to have a significant relationship with household labor time over the study period. Household labor time for females was 3.8 times that of males in 1999, but females' household labor time decreased over the next 20 years while males' increased, including both housework and family care. The female participation rate in household work also remained steady, while that for males increased. Second, in the younger and middle generations, a similar gender and generational pattern was seen. Third, in the older generation, household time and participation rates for both females and males increased. The family welfare policy and theoretical implications of these results are discussed.

• Korean Journal of Culture and Social Issue
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.103-139
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• 2002

Korean society has significantly changed with the onset of a dramatic economic crisis in 1998. From 2000, however, the Korean economy has recovered and currently Korea is enjoying a similar standard of living and economic growth as the pre-1998 levels. This study is a follow-up analysis, comparing the results examining the success attribution of Korean students and adults in 2001 with the results obtained before the economic crisis in 1997. Using the indigenous psychological approach, this study compares the similarities and differences in Korean students and adults' attribution of their personal success before and after the economic crisis. A total of 988 participants, consisting of 481 primary, junior high, senior high and university students and 507 adults (236 fathers and 271 mothers of the students) completed the questionnaire developed by Kim and Park (1998). The results indicate that students perceived their academic achievement and adults perceived successful family life as their most proud achievement. Successful family life included items such as academic success of children, healthy development of their children, and harmonious family life. The person who provided the most significant support for students were parents and for adults, it was their spouse. For students, the importance of friends' social support increased during the high school years. In terms of type of social support, emotional support was reported to be the most important for both students and adults. As for the reason for their success, majority of students and men reported self-regulation and for women, supportive family environment was reported as being the most important. Comparing 2001 results with the 1997 results, the importance of family increased after the economic crisis. Even with the dramatic economic crisis, however, some of the underlying pattern remain strong (such as importance of academic achievement for students, family life for adults, the importance of social support, especially emotional social support from family members, and believing that self-regulation would lead to success). The similar pattern of results obtain before and after the economic crisis indicate that the above results reflect a fundamental values and belief system deeply imbedded in Korean mentality.