• Korea journal of population studies
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.116-135
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• 1994

China's population and family planning program has heen successful. Women's fertility as measured by total fertility rate (TFR) has declined from 5.8 in 1970 to 2.3 in 1990, accordingly the annual crude birth rate(CBR) has declined from 34 per thousand in 1970 to 21 per thousand in 1989, and the annual natural growth rate from 2.6 percent in 1970 to 1.4 percent in 1989 (Coale and Chen, 1987; SSB, 1991; Gu, 1994). While this is indeed an astonishing achievement for a developing country to have its fertility down to replacement within a short period, some new issues emerging along with the rapid fertility decline require careful considerations. One of them is the uprising of the sex ratio at birth in China. The 1990 population census reported the sex ratio at birth in China of 113.8 in 1989, which is ohviously much higher than the acceptable level of normal ratio around 106. It has received since then a lot of tention in China and abroad, among demographic professionals and governmental agencies alike (Hull, 1990; Johansson and Nygren, 1991; Xuand Guo, 1991; Tu, 1993; Gu and Xu, 1994; among others). Based on the available demographic data and research results this paper will first have a review of the patterns and trends of sex ratio at birth in China, then turn to the immediate causes of abnormal sex ratio at birth and the determinants of the son preference, followed with a conceptual framework for understanding of the phenomenon, and finally the policy implications and recommendations will be discussed.

• Korea journal of population studies
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.97-116
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• 1988

This study examines the socioeconomic determinants of fertility behavior in Korea by developing a model which simultaneously takes into account both individual and community-level differences. It especially focuses on the micro-macro nexus of fertility behavior depending on social contexts. This study utilizes micro data obtained from the 1974 Korean National Fertility Survey(KNFS), and macro data obtained from Korean government statistics. The framework of the model is formalized as a set of structural equations modelling the fertility process. The model is formed on a cohort-specific processual basis and is restricted to five-year birth cohorts. Three cohorts of women are studied : those aged 30-34, 35-39, and 40-44. The model includes three fertility-process components : age at first birth, early fertility, and later fertility, which are defined by reference to the age of the mother. The results of this study indicate that socioeconomic development in Korea results in increased age at first birth and reduced numbers of children per couple. In addition to the developmental change, Korea's fertility decline is found to be facilitated by family planning programs. As expected, the effect of family planning on fertility is greater among better-educated women than among poorly educated women. The inconsistent but suggestive result, however, is that the effect of socioeconomic development on fertility is greater among less-privileged women than among more-previleged women.

• Journal of Families and Better Life
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• v.23 no.2 s.74
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• pp.137-148
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• 2005

This study compared one-child households' economic structures between those who determined not to have more children and those who have a birth plan. This study examined the demographic characteristics and economic variables such as income, consumption expenditures, assets. debt, and a subjective evaluation of future economic status. Especially, it compared the effects of socioeconomic variables on expenditures on a child between low-fertility and birth-planned households. From a questionnaire completed by a husband or wife of one-child households, 154 low-fertility households and 201 birth-planned households were obtained. A t-test, chi-square test, multiple regression analysis and a dummy variable interaction technique were used. The findings of this study are as follows: First, low-fertility households were older, had higher income, and had more educated, employed wives. Their marital duration was longer, and their child was older than those of birth-planned households. Second, low-fertility households had higher consumption expenditures than did birth-planned households. Especially, expenditures of apparel and shoes, health care, education, and entertainment were significantly higher for low-fertility households. Also, low-fertility households spent more than did birth-planned households on a child. However, low-fertility households had significantly more debt than did their counterparts, and their expectation level of future economic status were lower than that of birth-planned households. Third, the effects of socioeconomic variables on expenditures on a child were different between low-fertility and birth-planned households. Age, education level, husband's occupation, wife's employment status, income, net asset, and subjective evaluation of future economic status showed significant differences. Income elasticity of expenditure on a child was significantly higher for low-fertility households than their counterparts.

• Journal for History of Mathematics
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.79-86
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• 2008

The sex ratio at birth of South Korea is exceeding the natural sex ratio at birth, which is estimated to be about 105. One of the reasons of high sex ratio at birth is due to sex-selective abortion which is caused by strong son preference. The main objective of this study is to identify whether the families which are trying to bear children only until they acquire one son contribute to high sex ratio at birth. As a result, we obtain the theorem that if the number of such families diverge, the sex ratio at birth converges to the natural sex ratio almost surely. Therefore, we conclude that the existence of the families which are trying to bear children only until they receive one son does not affect the sex ratio at birth.

• Journal of the Korean Operations Research and Management Science Society
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.51-57
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• 1982

During the course of history, more and more reliable birth control methods have become available. Hence, to a certain degree, the possibility of avoiding any or additional children, and of spacing the family building process has arisen. The advancement of six predetermination technology, whereby couples can influence the sex of their children, gives couples, another decision variable. Assuming a rational acting couple, we present a general decision-theoretic model which describes the family building process and its optimization through maximizing the expected utility concerning the spacing, ordering, sex, and number of their children.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.52-60
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• 2004

This study was conducted to investigate the bone mineral density (BMD) and the anthropometric measurements, socioeconomic factors, family history of osteoporosis and other environmental factors affecting BMD in children. One hundred sixty children (80 males, 80 females) in second grade of elementary school in Seoul were recruited; the mean age was 7.7 $\pm$ 0.47 years. Bone mineral density was measured in the lumbar spine (LS), femoral neck (FN), femoral trochanter (FT), and Ward's triangle (WT) by Dual Energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DEXA). Socioeconomic factors, family history of osteoporosis, and other environmental factors were assessed by questionnaire. Bone mineral densities of LS, FN, FT, and WT were 0.677, 0.637, 0.618, and 0.658 g/$\textrm{cm}^2$. BMD of boys was higher than that of girls (LS: 0.685 vs. 0.669, FN: 0.660 vs. 0.614, FT: 0.632 vs. 0.604, WT: 0.678 vs. 0.639 g/$\textrm{cm}^2$). Anthrometric measurements (height, weight relative body weight, circumference of waist and hip) were positively correlated with BMD. With increasing family income, BMD of LS was significantly lowered, and negative correlation was observed between mother's age at birth of subject and the BMD of FN. And the BMD of children with a family history of osteoporosis was significantly lower. However BMDs were not different by educational level of parents, family pattern, delivery term, birth weight, and type of feeding. Further studies are needed to clarify the factors affecting BMD of children and earlier age, included infants and even prenatal life. If any association is revealed and persist until the attainment of peak bone mass, osteoporosis prevention programs are needed to be start very early in the life cycle.

• Korean Journal of Human Ecology
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.403-416
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• 2003

The recent study was examined the effects of stress related to self-esteem upon the types of deficiency, the genders, the grades. A Questionnaire was distributed to 172 elementary school students in 4th, 5th and 6th grades. The results of this study were as follows : First, children's stresses were related to their self-esteem and their self-esteem was explained mostly by the stress from home environment. Second, children's stress upon the birth order was higher in the first than in the second and the third birth order. Third, their self-esteem was explained mostly by the support from friends, teachers, and academic fields. Forth, children's stress of divorced and separated families as a reason of deficiency was higher than their stress upon the separation by death.

• Journal of Families and Better Life
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.143-156
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• 1990

The purposes of this study are to secure the desirable parent-adolescent cohesion, to find out the real parent-adolescent cohesion and to investigate the influences of family structure variables on the parent-adolescent cohesion. The data are obtained from a sample of 364 high school students in Seoul by using questionaires. X2-test, t-test, one-way ANOVA, Scheffe-test, Kruskal-Wallis test and difference of percentages with cross tabulation are used for data analysis. The major findings are as follows : 1) The high parent-adolescent cohesion is found to be desirable. 2) The mother-adolescent cohesion is higher than that of the father-adolescent. 3) The father-son cohesion is influenced by siblings existence, while the mother-son cohesion is influenced by siblings existence and birth order. The father-daughter cohesion is influenced by birth order and difference of age between mother and daughter. However the mother-daughter cohesion is influenced by the presence of the arents and difference of age between mother and daughter. 4) The results discribed in 3) are changed considerably by controlling the open-communication variable.

• Journal of Families and Better Life
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.176-190
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• 1993

This study intended to analyze the size and composition of social network and to identify their related variables in urban nuclear families. Data were collected through the questionnaires by wives living in Seoul area. The methods of statistical analysis used in the study were the frequency mean percentile and one-way ANOVA. The findings were as follows; 1) The size of social network in urban nuclear families was 10.0 in average and 2-33 in range. 2) The composition of social network were 45.5% in relatives 20.6% in neighbors. 21.8% in friends. 4,7% in coworkers, 4.1% religious group members 2.1% in associational members. and 1.4% in formal supporters. 3) The birth order of husbands was related to the size of social network. The composition of social network was influenced by SES family life cycle husband's birth order housing type residence duration age education employment religion and familism.

• Journal of the Korean Home Economics Association
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.107-115
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• 1979

A statistical study was carried out in order to find out the correlation between various factors affecting the attitude of young college girls to their marriages, such as their environment and the degree of their parent's satisfaction in their marriage life. For the study, 264 college girls were sampled at random from the population of college girls in Daejeon area. The instruments used in the research are questioning paper , which the investigators made. Following correlations were found as a result. (1) a significant correlation between the birth order of girls and those of male mate and earlier marriage in the bigger residential district. (2) Preferrence in larger family planning tendency in the group of girls from large family and vice versa in the group of girls little educated mothers. (3) More traditional attitude to future marriage planning in the group of girls of lower birth order and with better economical background. (4)There were no significant correlations between the degree of their parent's satisfaction and their marriage life planning.