• Journal of Families and Better Life
• /
• v.22 no.1
• /
• pp.169-179
• /
• 2004

This study investigated female-head's employment and household economic status of the single-mother households compared to those in the two-parent households using the data from the Korean Labor and Income Panel Study. Major findings are: first, female-heads showed lower educational attainment, lower labor force participation rate, lower occupational status, and lower wage rates than male-heads; second, the level of household income was as 1.3 times as the Minimum Living Cost and the level of household expenditure was close to the Minimum Living Cost; third, one-thirds of single-mother households were in poverty. Based on the results, the implications to public policy were suggested.

• Korean Journal of Social Welfare
• /
• v.68 no.3
• /
• pp.51-71
• /
• 2016

The purpose of this study is to clarify macro causes influencing on the diversity of single-mother households poverty among OECD Countries including Korea. This study carried out pooled time series cross-section analysis applying unbalanced panel design on the period from 1981 to 2012. There is marked diversity on single-mother households poverty. GDP per capita does not contributes to reduce poverty, and female employment rate and % population 0-14 exacerbate poverty. Several factors contribute on poverty reduction including social spending, child cash spending, union density, employment protection on regular workers, proportional representation system, cumulative left cabinet, cumulative women seat. In Korea, it needs to overcome the limit of anti-poverty strategy mainly based on economic growth and labor market flexibility. And it needs to enlarge universal welfare institutions, child benefits, work-family reconciliation policy, and to design adjusted labor market institutions including union density and employment protection, to introduce consensus political model including proportional representation system to enhance left power and women's representation.