• Journal of Families and Better Life
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.125-139
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• 1998

This study investigates work loads and coping strategies of the married female production workers(MFPW). The data of 370 MFPW in manufacturing sector in Taegu are collected by using a questionare in August 1995 The findings of this study are as follow: 1) The results of objective work loads assessed time dairy show that the average working hours is 14.25 hours during weekdays. The respondents spend 11.5 hours and 2.75 hours on doing paid and household work respectively,. The shortage of phisiological and leisure time due to spending excessively long time on work. 2) MFPW perceive the severe subjective work loads in the areas of personal family and social life. The perceived burden from paid work itself is relatively low due to the nature of their job. 3) The coping strategies MFPW actually adopted are limited mostly to those from an individual domain such as shortening the time for sleep leisure or household labor.

• Journal of Family Resource Management and Policy Review
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.43-59
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• 2017

This study aimed to analyze time allocation for men who work long hours and their wives. Using 2014 time-use survey data (provided by Statistics Korea), we analyzed the amount of time spent in four areas-paid work, housework, leisure, and life essentials-of male workers who work more than 52 hours a week and of their wives. Descriptive statistics and a paired t-test were conducted using SPSS version 18.0. The results were as follows: First, the time allocation of men who worked long hours differed from their wives with the exception of personal maintenance time. Second, the working time of wives who work long hours was longer than their husbands who work long. Third, men who worked long hours did less housework when their wives were employed than when they were not employed. All the results showed gender differences in terms of time allocation. Equal role-sharing between spouses is needed for the work-life balance of both husbands and wives.

• Korean Journal of Social Welfare Studies
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• v.49 no.1
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• pp.51-83
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• 2018

This study examines whether the widening gap between income groups is worsening in the distribution of time use, similar to the worsening of income distribution after the IMF. To do this, we conducted multilevel analysis (HLM) on six countries including France, the Netherlands, Spain, the United Kingdom, the United States and Korea. The results of the analysis are as follows. First, in all countries, low income groups have a longer paid working time and shorter leisure time. Second, the low income groups in Korea have the longest paid work time and the shortest leisure time, the lowest level of work-leisure balance, and this aspect has not recovered since the IMF. Third, as the result of multilevel analysis, the lower the household income, the more time paid labor increased and the work-leisure balance decreased. Fourth, while average annual working hours increase paid working time, the expansion of family policy expenditure, redistribution policy and income maintenance policy has reduced it. Fifth, the annual average working hours decreased the work-leisure balance, but the family policy expenditure, the redistribution policy and the income guarantee policy increased the work-leisure balance. The significance of this study is that after the IMF, not only the income distribution but also the inequality among the income class in time use has deepened. Based on the results of the research this study suggests the reinforcement of labor time regulation, the activation of parental leave system, the realization of the income replacement rate, the expansion of the policy related to income redistribution, and the complementary development of the income guarantee and the time guarantee policy as the policy intervention strategy that restructures time.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.53-58
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• 2024

Background: As social distancing persists and interest in work-life balance grows, more companies are adopting flexible work policies. While there have been studies on sleep disorders associated with different types of work, such as shift work, research exploring the relationship between flexible work schedules and sleep disorders is still limited, particularly among Korean workers. Methods: We performed a secondary analysis of the 6th Korean Working Conditions Survey, focusing on 31,243 paid workers out of a total of 50,538 participants. We defined flexible workers as those who set their own working hours. Sleep disorders were divided into three categories: 'difficulty falling asleep,' 'frequent waking during sleep,' and 'waking up feeling exhausted and fatigued.' Using scores derived from three specific symptoms, the Minimal Insomnia Symptoms Scale (MISS) was calculated to assess the prevalence of insomnia. We used chi-square tests to analyze demographic and job-related differences. A multivariate logistic regression analysis was employed to identify any relationship between flexible work schedules and sleep disorders. Results: Significant differences were found between flexible and non-flexible workers regarding age, income level, education level, and job type. Flexible workers reported sleep-related symptoms significantly more often. The odds ratio for insomnia was 1.40 (95% CI 1.21-1.61). For males, the odds ratio was 1.68 (1.36-2.08). Conclusion: This study establishes a correlation between flexible work schedules and sleep disorders among Korean salaried workers. Potential causes could include changes in circadian rhythm, increased work demands, and extended working hours. To precisely determine causality and associated diseases, further research is required.

• Journal of the Korean Home Economics Association
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• v.45 no.6
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• pp.61-75
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• 2007

This paper examines the intergenerational time transfers between married women and their co-residing elderly parents, and how they affect married women's labor force participation and work hour. The sample was drawn from the "2004 Time Use Survey" conducted by Korea National Statistical Office and the Heckman's 2-step model was estimated to examine these relationships. We find that women's caregiving time for their elderly parents reduces their likelihood of participating in the labor force. On the contrary, parental time transfers for married women increases the probability of their labor force participation. We find no evidence that the actual hours of paid work is related to the time transfers between married women and their elderly parents. In other words, after married women decide to participate in the labor force, their work hours are not affected by the time spent for parents and time gained from parents to them. Parental income is positively associated with the married women's labor force participation whereas husband's income is negatively related. The married women working in service occupation and earn salaries work longer hours than those employed as laborer and wage workers. Having older parents and owning the second home reduce working hours of married women.

• Journal of Families and Better Life
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• v.33 no.5
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• pp.37-53
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• 2015

The purpose of this study is to examine the differences in perceived time pressure between employed and non-employed married women in Korea. The sample of married couple from the Korean Time Use Survey 2009 (n = 6,948 couple diaries) was used to examined the difference in the level of perceived time pressure over the life cycle of two group. This study also investigated the married women's time use, husband's time use as well as hour of domestic outsourcing and whether such factors are associated with lowering perceived time pressure of married women. Results showed employed wives felt almost 3 times more time pressed than non-employed wives, and the gap mostly remained over different life cycles. Total work hours were associated with increasing the time pressure of both groups of women, while regenerating time was associated with ameliorating time pressure. The result suggests that the time pressure gap between employed and non-employed wives can be partly due to the relative length of total labor hours and regenerating time among the two groups. Ordered logit analysis revealed that husband's paid work hours were not associated with wive's feeling rushed, but husband' unpaid work hours were positively linked with time pressure of their wives. Results indicated if employed or non-employed wives are feeling very busy, there is a high chance that husband might give them some help. We found employed wives spend more hours on housework outsourcing, and purchasing goods for housework was not associated with lowering the feeling of pressure of employed wives. There were both similarity and difference in factors associated with women's feeling pressed among employed and non-employed wives. It implies that social process and it's strategies to alleviate the time pressure can be different by women's employment status.

• Journal of Family Resource Management and Policy Review
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.1-21
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• 2020

The purpose of this research was, first, to classify work-life satisfaction among married wage workers aged 20-59 years into several distinct types based on two dimensions of work and life, using data from the 20th(2017) wave of the Korean Labor & Income Panel Study. Second, the study aimed to assess the differences in socio-demographic characteristics (sex, age, educational level, average monthly income), and workplace-related variables (weekly working hours, full-time employment, job stability, business type, family-friendly leave policies) by work-life satisfaction type. Accordingly, four types of work-life satisfaction were identified: work-life satisfaction, work-life dissatisfaction, work satisfaction, and life satisfaction. There was a significant difference in the type of work-life satisfaction among married waged workers based on sex, age, educational level, and average monthly income. Additionally, there was a significant difference in the type of work-life satisfaction for all workplace-related variables, namely, weekly working hours, full-time employment, job stability, business type, and family-friendly leave policies. In particular, proportionally higher values of work-life satisfaction were evident among the workers in companies with family-friendly leave policies such as paid leave, menstrual leave, maternity leave, childcare leave, and family events leave, whereas there was a high rate of work-life dissatisfaction among the workers in companies without family-friendly leave policies.

• Architectural research
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.27-33
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• 2017

Advances in information and mobile technologies have changed the traditional firm ways of working very flexible, collaborative and innovative, resulting in the changes in work place structures and layouts. Despite the growing body of literature examining the novel ways of working, which is called smart work, there is little academic attentions paid to the spatial aspects of new work places, namely smart offices and smart work centers. This research explores the spatial changes of work places that improve business efficiency and collaboration among workers suitable for the novel ways of working. Conducting in-depth field surveys on selected cases, we analyzed the changes in spatial structure and operation policies of smart offices and smart work centers. From this survey, we observed that the new work places under study take various novel spatial forms and they have flexible operating policies such as flexible seating and flexible work hours. We also found that it would be difficult to change existing business practices and typical ways of performing tasks, without changing the bureaucratic spatial designs and layouts. Future studies are suggested to examine how spatial structures and layouts of offices have impacts on space utilization, collaboration, creativity, and job satisfaction.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.471-478
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• 2021

Background: Employment standards (ES) include having a regular payday, regular breaks, the right to paid sick or vacation time, and paid wages. Inadequate ES contribute to the labour market vulnerability of workers; however, they are not typically considered to be risk factors for workplace injury. In a sample of Canadian workers, we examine the risk of injury associated with inadequate ES, independent of, and combined with inadequate workplace protections from workplace hazards. Methods: Data from 2,803 adults working 15 hours or more/week in workplaces with at least five employees were analysed. We explored associations between exposure to workplace hazards with inadequate protections [termed occupational health and safety (OHS) vulnerability] and inadequate ES on workplace injury (physical or mental injury; injury requiring time off). Additive interaction models were used to examine the independent and combined effects of these exposures. Results: Occupational health and safety vulnerability and inadequate ES were independently associated with increased injury outcomes. Adjusted models showed an additive relationship for all injury outcomes between OHS vulnerability and inadequate ES. Statistically significant superadditive relationships were observed for physical injury risk with policy and procedure vulnerability plus inadequate ES [synergy index (S) 1.50, 95% CI: 1.13-2.00] and for overall OHS vulnerability plus inadequate ES (S 1.53, 95% CI: 1.16-2.02), suggesting a combined effect greater than independent effects. Conclusion: Occupational health and safety vulnerability and inadequate ES are independently associated with workplace injury. For certain injury outcomes, the combined effect of OHS vulnerability and inadequate ES is greater than the independent effects of each individual exposure.

• Journal of Family Resource Management and Policy Review
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.131-151
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• 2011

This study attempted to estimate the level of perceived lack of time in Korean society, to link it to time management and to identify the possible association that accounts for time shortage. I employed the gender perspective in order to reveal the dynamics and complexity of the perception of a lack of time in the population. The sample for the study was drawn from the 1999 and 2009 Korean time diary data collected by the Korean National Statistical Office. From the original data, I selected a sample of second shift families(men and women who are presently working and raising children) living in metropolitan areas(including Seoul and six major urban areas in Korea). The dependent variable was time pressure measured by a single-item question on a four-point likert scale. The results of the study showed that working mothers perceived a greater time shortage as compared to working fathers. The time use pattern showed change during the periods, indicating that people worked fewer hours in paid labor and enjoyed more leisure hours and personal care hours. However, on average, people seemed to have experienced a greater time lack in 2009 as compared to 1999. The results from the ordered logistic regression model revealed that even though there were similarities in the impact of relevant factors, men's perception of a lack of time was more closely linked with their work role and social status, while for women, this perception was influenced by work and family duties. This indicates that Korean working mothers and fathers are facing a double jeopardy of time shortage in terms of combining their work and family roles. As a result, the level of time pressure by gender is converging toward a "never enough" phase. These findings generated policy implications and detailed suggestions.