• Korean Journal of Social Welfare
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• v.56 no.2
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• pp.215-235
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• 2004

A little understood but rapidly growing phenomenon in our society is remarriage. By 2002, 21% of marriage involved the remarriage of one or both partners. Furthermore, the ratio of remarriage of women has outnumbered the ratio of remarriage of men, which is remarkable change compared to the traditional culture putting a taboo on women's remarriage in Korea. The purpose of this study is to construct the perspective and the direction of programs for enhancing the remarriage family functioning. For the purpose, we explore the intrinsic vulnerability to family dissolution of remarriage and ill preparation for remarriage of people. There are unrealistic myths around, lack of informations on, absence of guideline for remarriage family life. Also, we discuss the process of remarriage family development, which leads us to the conclusion that the remarriage shows totally different family structure and family interaction from first marriage nuclear family. Based on discussion mentioned above, several suggestions are provided for developing programs for remarriage family functioning. Above all, the family developmental perspective on remarriage is more useful paradigm rather than deficit-comparison perspective for remarriage family. Also, the programs for remarriage family functioning should challenge the unrealistic myths around remarriage such as the instant love between step-parents and step-children, the re-created nuclear family, etc. Also, several points such as the remarried family developmental stage, the disparity in expectation of man and woman on remarriage, and the tendency to scapegoat a stepmother should be considered in programs for enhancing remarriage family functioning.

• Korean Journal of Social Welfare
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• v.64 no.3
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• pp.183-202
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• 2012

Remarriages constitute an increasing proportion of all marriage in Korea. In 2010, 21.9% of marriage were remarriages for one or both partners. In spite of such increasing of remarriage, not much attentions were given the issues of remarriage in the academic circle of social welfare in Korea. This study is conducted to understand the nature of remarriage, the family structure in remarriage, the relationship between the boundary ambiguity and the family functioning in remarriage. Although boundary ambiguity is believed to be more problematic for remarriage families than first-marriage families and as such has been the topic of research in the U.S.A and other countries, few studies have focused on this topic in Korea. This study examined degree of boundary ambiguity of 125 samples of remerried women and their family functioning. Also, the study examined the relationship between the boundary ambiguity and the family functioning in remarriage. This study conceptualized boundary ambiguity as an incongruence between physical and psychological presence or absence of family members. The findings indicated that the majority of respondents(67.6%) were categorized as having both no psychological and no physical ambiguity. 19.8% of respondents were categorized as having physical ambiguity, 9.9% as having psychological ambiguity, and 2.7% as having both psychological and physical ambiguity. Statistically significant differences of family functioning in remarriage were found among four groups having different type of boundary ambiguity.