• Journal of Families and Better Life
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.187-199
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• 2003

The purpose of this study was to understand the weekend couples' type of residence, and to identify the factors to determine their major living place. Specifically, this study dealt with the weekend couples' psychological costs and rewards when they live apart in weekdays. The data were collected from 33 married couples from 2002 June to July about their family life history. The major findings of this study were summarized as follows: 1) the type of living together ; husband living apart on weekdays, wife living apart on weekdays, wife and child living apart on weekdays, living multi-residence. The majority of them were the type of husband living apart on weekdays. 2) children's care and education were an important factor in a couple's decision 3) weekend couples' psychological costs were such as difficulties of children's care, very fatiguing, shortage of time, and emotional isolation. In spite of all these costs, weekend couples still maintain their separate living arrangements during the week. They felt different kind of psychological costs by the type of living together. 4) psychological rewards were professional success, self-fulfillment, plenty of time to use purposely, and weekenders' relationships to their spouses might seem better than before. Socialization of child-care and household-labor are important factors to reduce psychological costs for the all weekend couples.