• Human Ecology Research
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• v.51 no.6
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• pp.649-663
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• 2013

As cultural diversity has gained a great deal of attention and the social fabric of Korean society is redefined, the number of studies on multi-cultural family homes has been growing in the area of human ecology, but relevant research is rarely found on the subject of housing. While the emphasis of housing research is on multidisciplinary approaches and empirical research is highly valued, a theoretical and methodological platform for discussing the new rising agenda of multi-cultural family homes is lacking. The purpose of this study was to explore approaches to and to discuss the issues in research for multi-cultural family homes in terms of housing theories and multidisciplinary approaches. To understand the housing related needs of multi-cultural families, this study highlights social constructionism, the ecological perspective, and feminist epistemology. These three multidisciplinary approaches were useful for generating an ontological analysis of multi-cultural family homes. Further, this study highlights two housing related theories, the microsociological and housing pathways approaches, for dealing with multi-cultural family homes. In conclusion, the five approaches were useful for exploring issues in housing research on multi-cultural family homes with appropriate research methods like hermeneutics, quantitative, and qualitative methods, and field research. Insights into using perspectives and holistic approaches might be useful for solving the problems of multi-cultural family homes in Korea.

• Human Ecology Research
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• v.52 no.6
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• pp.573-586
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• 2014

The purpose of this study was to review the conceptual framework of social constructionism and critical social constructionism in the research area of multi-cultural family homes, using a literature review. Fopp argued that social constructionism had an objectivation problem that only considered the actor side as a policy object; therefore he suggested a weaker social constructionist perspective with moderate relativism and the application of feminist epistemology to marginal life for maximizing objectivity. This article explores a conceptual framework for studying the reality of housing of multi-cultural families in Korea in the light of constructionist ideas and presents a review of empirical positivist data to support the framework. Based on results, using the social constructionist framework, five contexts (structural, institutional, organizational, operational, and intersubjective) were reviewed and ideas were suggested to develop an appropriate future situation for multi-cultural family homes. For a weaker social constructionist framework, three National Survey of Multi-Cultural Family Homes data sets were reviewed to determine the real condition of multi-cultural family homes. Further, from a feminist perspective, the empirical data of marginalized multi-cultural family homes were reviewed from the perspectives of gender inequality of decision making, cultural adaptation, and differentiation in housing related areas. In conclusion, two perspectives were useful for understanding multi-cultural family housing in Korea but must be compensated with substantial empirical data for a holistic approach.

• Korea journal of population studies
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.27-55
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• 2008

This paper tries to introduce most recent trends of Korean family policies during Roh, Moo Hyun Government of March 2003-February 2008. Focusing on the gender perspectives, discussions are, for heuristic purposes, centered around three major family issues in S. Korea, one of the most dynamically changing societies in the world: 1) the abolishment of male-centered traditional Family Registry System('the hoju') and the launching of brand-new Family Record Book of five different versions for individual from January 2008; 2) the application of Framework Act On Healthy Homes, a first formal measure to step in various forms of family break-ups these days; and 3) the emergence of Multi-Cultural Family Protection Act, thanks to a massive volume of international marriage migrants from overseas. It can be said that all these family policies are the result of rapidly changing socio-demographic trends into an aging society since 1990s. These trends include late/no marriage with low birth rates, high divorce(and thus remarriage) rates, breakdown of male-breadwinner family model and increase of dual-income family, and a sudden increment of international marriage particularly in rural areas. All in all, overall trends of Korean family life these days that have been taking place so far would provide an excellent exemplary how to deal with an unprecedented societal challenges with the brand-new family policies.