• The Korean Journal of Community Living Science
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.339-347
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• 2014

This paper was examined socio-demographic characteristics influencing married women's fertility plans in Korea. Few studies have focused on fertility plans by using census data, and therefore this study employs 2010 census 2% sample data. It focuses on differential characteristics influencing not only whether women have plans for additional children but also how many additional children women plan to have. Women's age, age at marriage, employment status, number of children, and number of sons are consistently associated with their fertility plans and planned number of additional children. The educational level is positively related to plans for additional children for both men and women, and the effect weakens or disappears with an increase in the planned number of additional children. The result showing consistent positive effect of the number of sons reflects son preference in Korea. Positive effects of women's high educational attainment and employment status on fertility plans may reflect the importance of economic stability but requires further research.

• Korean Journal of Childcare and Education
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.1-29
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• 2020

Objective: The present study aimed to explore the experiences of mothers who have abandoned their additional birth plans since their first child was born. Methods: During in-depth interviews, mothers were asked to recall their own experiences of motherhood. The interview data were analyzed using the grounded theory. Results: The central phenomenon was 'The burden of raising a child is too heavy for mothers to carry alone.' The causal conditions were 'First experience: Unpredictable life', 'Physical and psychological difficulty', and 'Spouse's absence.' The contextual conditions were 'Expectations and reality of parenting' and 'Workplace conditions.' The mothers used interaction strategies of 'Defusing conflict only on a surface level: Giving up', 'Reliance on grandmothers', and 'Downgrading career aspirations.' These strategies were mediated by intervening conditions, 'Stereotypes and experiences of non-family nanny', 'Child's development', and 'Family conflict.' The results were 'Endless guilt', 'Ambivalence between independence versus interdependence' and 'Unfairness: Why only me?' Finally, the process of psychological conflict was identified to account for the steps leading mothers to give up on their birth plans. Conclusion/Implications: During the first experience of motherhood, mothers' conflict gets escalated despite their struggles. These experiences might discourage their additional birth plans. These results provide implications for policies to increase fertility rates.

• Journal of Families and Better Life
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• v.28 no.6
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• pp.59-69
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• 2010

This study is to understand the determinants affecting women's fertility behavior (additional fertility plan) using the Korean Longitudinal Survey of Women & Families of 2007. Patterns of married women's life courses are divided into five groups depending on family role and economic activity: family-centered (no work experience) type, latent M type, M type, work-family reconciliation type, and first job entry type. This study performs a binomial logistic regression analysis and the key findings from the study are summarized as follows. First, five distinctive patterns show the different composition: family-centered type (4.5%), latent M type (69.6%), M type (10.4%), work-family reconciliation type (7.4%), and first job entry type (8.1%). Second, socio-economic characteristics, husband characteristics, and value characteristics are statistically significant to additional fertility behavior ; however, institutional character is not significant. Finally, significant factors affecting additional fertility plans vary in different patterns of life courses. Based on these results, this study suggests some policy implications and future research directions.

• Journal of Korean Home Economics Education Association
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.95-116
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• 2010

The purpose of this study is to explore the role of Home Economics Education for low fertility Aged Society. Hence home economics educational contents for low fertility Aged Society was estsblished extracting the contents from both Revised 2007 Home Economics Curriculum and government. policy for low fertility Aged Society. Also home economics educational contents for low fertility Aged Society("Home Economics Class for both parents and Children") implemented in Healthy Family Support Center. The main results of the study are as follows. Firstly, Home Economics Education for low fertility Aged Society should be emphasized with the contents such as marriage of one's choice, family life reinforcement, healthy family culture and neighborhood living together. Secondly, the goal of home economics education is very similar to the action plans of Saeromaji Project 2010 which are 'social responsibility reinforcement for marriage, birth and child rearing', 'balancing family and work', 'family-friendly culture' and 'security for the aged with health and care'. It has also much in common with the project plans by Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education 'family-friendly culture and filial duty education reinforcement', 'school education reinforcement regarding Low Fertility-Aged Society' and 'values education reinforcement for gender equality society'. Thirdly, "Home Economics Class for both parents and Children" applied in Healthy Family Support Center in Jung-gu, Seoul. This ensures home economic education can play a leading role in the social education filed.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.233-239
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• 2018

A rapid decrease of total fertility rate to 1.08 in 2005 prompted the Korean government to plan and implement a '5-year plan for ageing society and population policy' starting from 2006. The 1st and 2nd 5-year plans had not shown any discernible impact on the fertility and the 3rd 5-year plan was launched in 2016. However, the fertility rate is going down further. The author reviewed the contents and assessment reports of the fertility promotion plan to suggest ideas for complementing the shortcomings of it. Author defined the major determinants of marriage and child birth as philosophy, politics, sense of value, social norm, culture, healthcare, and education. The plan was examined in view of these determinants. Transformation of Korea from an agricultural society to an industrialized society in a short period of time had brought about changes in most of the determinants of marriage and child birth; in particular philosophy and sense of value. These aspects were not put into consideration in the plan. Author suggested to launch a social education program for the general public to establish a sound philosophy of life, reform the sense of value on family, child birth and education, and cultivate the skill to draw a consensus through discussions on the social issues. A special program to promote marriage of women at the optimum age for child birth was proposed. The government should implement well balanced policy for economic development and labor. Multidisciplinary approach was recommended for these tasks.

• Journal of Family Resource Management and Policy Review
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.81-101
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• 2008

The purpose of this study is to examine support policies regarding work and family reconciliation, to suggest plans to improve workplace policies, and to suggest directions for further studies. This study looks at OECD's work-life reconciliation policies as well as family friendly workplace policies in Korea to find a way to enhance business' receptiveness and implementation of the policies. By examining women's labor conditions, this study finds that family friendly workplace policies are necessarily imminent in our society of low fertility and ageing. Along with the evaluation of benefit level and the effectiveness of current policies, this study uses data from interviews with working mothers who have had the experience of family friendly benefits. The results of the analyses suggest that the government should focus on improving the workplace environment in companies that do not show bias against the use of family friendly policies. In order to farm more successful policies, future studies are needed to analyze the changes of fertility, working conditions, support programs, and benefits.

• Korea journal of population studies
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.14-31
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• 1988

The national family planning program in Korea, which was instituted as an integral part of the nation's economic development plans since 1962, has contributed greatly to a reduction in the fertility and population growth rate. The total fertility rate dipped from 6.0 births per women in 1960 to 2.0 in 1985, and the population growth rate rom 2.84 percent per year to 1.25 percent during the same period, while the contraceptive practice rate for the 15-44 married women increased from 9 percent in 1965 to 70 percent in 1985. Study findings indicate that the fertility reduction in the past 26 years is largely attributed to the virgorous implementation of the national family planning program, rising age at marriage, wide-spread use of induced abortion, and the changes in attitude regarding the value of children that came into being in the wake of the rapid socio-economic development over the period. Among the strengths of the national family planning program are the following : 1) a pluralistic system of program manageent with active participation of various government and voluntary organizations, 2) utilization of a large corps of family planning field workers to conduct face-to-face communication and motivation activities, 3) use of private physicians with government support to provide contraceptive services, 4) a systematic program management system including program planning of traget allocation, evaluation, and supervision with a broad MIS and award system, 5) numerous incentive and disincentive schemes for stimulating the small family norm and contraceptive use, and 6) strong commitments to the family planning program by political leaders. The new demographic targets during the Sixth Five-Year Economic and Social Development plan period(1987-91) have been set for a further reduction in the population growth rate to 1.0 percent by 1993, assuming that the TFR will decline to 1.75 level in 1995. This target is, however, not easy to achieve due to anticipated unfavorable factors like the strong boy preference, high discontinuation rates of reversible contraceptive methods, fertility termination-oriented contraceptive use, a plateau level of contraceptive practice rate that has mostly accounted for a sterilization, shortened length of birth intervals, and the changing patterns of contraceptive mix. The recent changes in contraceptive and fertility behaviors clearly indicate that the past quantity-oriented management system of the national program should be redirected toward a quality-oriented approach. Particularly, program efforts should be expanded to recruit new contraceptive users in the 20s of younger age groups, both for birth spacing and controlling their fertility since the women aged 20 to 29 account for more than 80 percent of the total annual births in recent years. In addition, the current contraceptive fee system of the national family planning program should be gradually shifted from free contraceptive services to a acceptor's charge system, and the provision of contraceptive services through the medical insurance system, which will cover the entire population by 1989, should be accelerated as a means of integration of family planning program with other health programs.

• The Korean Journal of Applied Statistics
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.653-665
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• 2009

All the policies and plans need to be carried out at the proper times in order that they would work properly for what they are made for. It is will known that statistics are one of the most useful tools in deciding the proper times for the policies. In this paper we show how to use statistics in evaluating the policies already carried with respect to the time when they were executed in dealing with the population policy we had in 1983 when the total fertility rate hit the population replacement level 2.1. Two methods have been tried to show that the policy carried in 1983 missed the proper changing time. The one is to make forecasting only with the data possible before 1982 and show how close they can be to the real situation of today. The other is to show what would happen if the policies aiming to suppress population growth had been changed or abandoned. Both results from two methods give some quantified information about the population policy of 1983. Especially the prediction tells that we could have forecasted the problem of low fertility of this century in 1983.

• Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.357-367
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• 2019

Purpose: The aim of this study is to identify factors of Korean female workers' childbirth plans and to establish measures to improve the childbirth plan. Methods: Study subjects were selected part in the 1st, 3rd, and 5th year surveys of the Korean Longitudinal Panel Survey of Women and Families. The selection criteria were as follows: women who had a spouse; were salaried workers currently employed for the last one month; belonged to a childbearing age; and had less than 3 children. Logistic regression analysis was conducted to investigate factors associated with childbirth plans. Results: Childbirth plans by female workers decreased each year. The analysis of associated factors revealed that age, number of children were associated factors in all years. In addition, education, satisfaction about dividing household chores with the husband, and satisfaction about working environment were associated with the lack of planning for childbirth in female workers in the 1st survey year. Satisfaction about dividing household chores with the husband, family-work conflict, and satisfaction about the potential for personal development were associated factors in the 3rd survey year. Finally, family-work conflict, satisfaction about employment stability, and satisfaction about job task at work were associated factors in the 5th survey year. Conclusion: It is important to know the measures focusing on the lack of planning for childbirth, and hence these factors can be improved by assessing in general, family, and occupational characteristics. Additionally, employer policies regarding women employees who are pregnant or have children at home need to be reviewed.

• Journal of Family Resource Management and Policy Review
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.1-24
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• 2017

The purpose of this study, which focuses on safe living as an important determinant of the quality of life for the elderly, is to provide policy proposals for their safe living in rural areas by examining their current living conditions and related policies. To examine the related policies, we analyzed government plans including: the first, second and third Basic Plan on Low Fertility and Aging Society, first implemented in 2006, the first, second and third Basic Plan for Healthy Families, also first implemented in 2006, and the first, second and third Five-year Plan for Improvement of the Quality of Life of Rural People and Regional Development of Rural Areas, first implemented in 2005. In addition to these plans, government projects concerning safe living environments were assessed. we present the following policy proposals for the safe living of the elderly in rural areas. First, integrated, customized policies are required for the rural elderly's everyday life. That is, elderly-friendly residential improvement policies are needed since accidents involving the rural elderly usually occur in their own houses. Policies should also be introduced to monitor and improve the elderly's nutritional and health status. Also considering the high proportion of elderly people in rural areas, policies must be aimed at creating elderly-friendly and family-friendly villages. Second, educational sessions for the elderly are necessary to raise their awareness of safety in everyday lives, which they often overlook.