• Journal of Families and Better Life
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.103-115
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• 2003

This study develops and evaluates a mother-child relationship improvement program for poor female-headed families. The program consists of seven sessions including various physical and educational activities. The goals of this program are (1) enhancing emotional support, health, and physical intimacy among the female heads of households and their children, (2) understanding each other's wants and personalities, and (3) facilitating the communication skills and increasing knowledge on adolescent sexual development. Four mothers of poor female-headed families and four adolescent children of them were participated in the program. The result of the program evaluation shows that this program had positive effects on improving mother-child relationship and their Interaction.

• Korean Journal of Social Welfare
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• v.65 no.1
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• pp.175-199
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• 2013

This study was to investigate working experience of poor female-headed families in social enterprise focusing on empowerment process. For this study, nine female-headed women were interviewed and the collected qualitative data were analyzed through phenomenological research method. Main results of this study provided eight main construct factors, such as the intersection of hope and unhappy, economic independence through being alone, finding myself strong and worthy, consciousness of horizontal bondage, trouble situation, professionalism and pride, capacity to problem solving and self-importance of contribution to society. Based on the results of this study, working experience of poor female-headed families in social enterprise was strengthened from personal level and relational level to social level. Therefore, various policies and practical programs should be prepared to improve empowerment of female-headed families in poverty working in social enterprise.

• Korean Journal of Social Welfare
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• v.48
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• pp.82-112
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• 2002

This study investigates the causes of poverty in Korea since the 1997 Economic Crisis by analyzing the composition and characteristics of the poor by the types of families. While the poor largely consisted of disadvantaged groups, such as the aged, the disabled, or the female-headed families before the Crisis, families headed by working-aged and non-disabled adults have represented a larger portion of the entire poor since the Crisis. The higher overall poverty rate in 1998 mainly resulted from the rapid increase in the number of the unemployed and the high poverty rate of their families. In 1999, the larger number of the unemployed poor exited from poverty by getting a job in the labor market, contributing to the reduction in the overall poverty rate. The significant number of families headed by working adults were poor in 1998, and the size of these working poor was not reduced in 1999. The poverty among this group has been caused by lowered wage rates and deteriorating job security. The findings from this study suggest that anti-poverty policies in Korea be improved to provide better income and employment assistance to the non-working poor and, more importantly, be extended to effectively reduce poverty among the working low-income families.

• Korean Journal of Social Welfare
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• v.54
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• pp.295-319
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• 2003

The study starts from the critical thought on why most of female-headed single-parent families are under poverty regardless of their hard working. The study is to explore the lives of low-income single-parent families as working poor and to develop comprehensive policies for them out of poverty and other social vulnerability, using the concept of social exclusion which has been broadly introduced in the field of social science. Specifically, the study aims to analyse the process of social exclusion of low-income single-parent households, by comparing the differential lives in the economic, social, political aspects among male-headed dual-parent household, female-headed single-parent household, and poor female-headed lone-parent household who is under the public poverty line. The study was based on the secondary data analysis. A total of 3182 samples(the first 2508, the second 235, and the third 439) were included. Using SAS 6.12, frequency, chi-square, means, and ANOVA were utilized for the statistical analysis. Results show that single mothers, on the whole, are vulnerable population in terms of employment, housing stability and income. Also, low-income households of single mothers are more negatively affected by the IMF economic crisis and carry more pessimism on their future. In comparison with male-headed households, single mothers have fewer support from social insurance as well as family resources and higher burdens of additional caring need for the old, the disabled, and the chronically ill. These findings identify the reality in which female-headed households with dependent children are exposed to the overall social vulnerability and thus are easily trapped into the social disadvantaged. finally, the study suggests the development of comprehensive policies and counter-measurements for low-income female-headed families to be the primary member in our society.

• Journal of the Korean Home Economics Association
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• v.40 no.6
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• pp.223-243
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• 2002

Female-headed household is one of the common family type in the changing Korean society. This study explored and described the coping strategies of poor female household heads who were in struggle with economic, physical, and emotional problems. The data was gathered by in-depth interviews with fifteen poor female heads of households. In the process of qualitative interview and analysis, the coping strategy was emerged as an important theme. The major strategies which the poor female heads had adopted were as follows. First strategy was making up their minds to live as heads of households to keep their children in the fence of family. Second was accepting that any husbands would not be helpful in general. Third was developing independence, which meant providing their families on their own labor without expecting the support from social network or welfare system. Forth strategy was giving the present situation a positive definition: it gave them the emotional comfort.

• Journal of the Korean Home Economics Association
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• v.39 no.2
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• pp.1-13
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• 2001

The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of poor female-headed families' family life events on their well-being under economic crisis in Korea and to investigate how they overcome their alienation. Specific research questions were as follows : (1) How are poor female earner's life satisfaction level and alienation level after economic crisis\ulcorner (2) How are poor female earner's demands for social security\ulcorner For this empirical analysis, the data was collected from 359 poor female-earners whose first child was of school age in the Seoul metropolitan area from the 14th Feb. to the 18th Mar. 2000. The questionnaire for the survey dealt with demographic information, alienation, life satisfaction and family life event. The major findings of the research project were as fellows: First, poor female-earners'alienation level was not higher than the average level. However among sub areas of alienation, powerlessness was higher than the average level. Second, poor female-easer made a strong claim for social welfare. Especially, they desired so much to be granted the national economic assistance.