Family Dynamics in South Korea

Women

Number of suicides of persons 65+ has nearly quadrupled in recent years

• Poor, living in 'rural ghost towns'
• Feel betrayed
• Don't want to be a burden

Number in adults/teenagers also surged, but are attributed to other factors (i.e. competition)

Modern Family Size

Family Dynamics in South Korea

What is being done?

• Government promoting having kids
• Family planning to planning families
• Immigration
• Changing opinion

Shrinking Size

• Large family to nuclear family to DINK and single
• Average woman has 1.24 children
• Rank 219 in birth rate
• Lower birthrate than Japan

Effects

• Closing of schools
• Ageing population
• Less marriages
• Problem getting worse

Why?

• Too much pushing for family planning
• Having children is very expensive
• More value placed on having higher living standard rather than children
• No longer obligation

"Changnam"

Hierarchical Families

Responsible for taking care of parents

Inherits the family wealth and the family

duty of ancestor worship

First son called "changnam"

old over young, and male over female

when a woman is married she is removed from her family's registry becoming an outsider to her own family

geonice.com/south-korean-women.jpg

Improved status of women; more equality in family relations

Transition of focus: patrilineal -> conjugal

"Love matches" are becoming more common in marriage

Traditional Korean Kinship System

Four levels:

Traditional Family

The household, chip or jip

big house, k'nchip, or k' njip

little house, chag nchip, or chag njip

Financial Independence

the lineage, p'a

clan, tongjok

mourning group, tangnae

"Yonae" - Dating

vancouverobserver.com

http://asianwiki.com/Romance_(2002)-South_Korea-MBC)

People are allowed to interview/date before marriage

Yonae - romance, dating

Chungmae - traditional matchmaking

Mat'seon - modern matchmaking

donebrilliantly.com

Baeunseong, South Korea, A Big Family, 1930-35, Oil on canvas, 140 x 200 cm, Collection of Jeon Chang Gon, Korea

Within Modern Society

Confucianism

Geographic Mobility

Family thought to be the fundamental unit of society

Families were hierarchical

The extended family was idealized

http://newshopper.sulekha.com/north-korea-koreas-family-reunions_photo_987948.htm

Several generations lived together under one roof

http://www.familyfed.org/news/index.php?id=362&page=8

Works Cited

South Korea - Family and Social Life in the Cities

http://countrystudies.us/south-korea/39.htm

Dating and Marriage Customs of Korea

http://prezi.com/yukptroewumz/dating-and-marriage-customs-of-korea/

South Korea- Traditional Family Life

http://www.mongabay.com/history/south_korea/south_korea-traditional_family_life.html

As Families Change, Korea’s Elderly Are Turning to Suicide

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/17/world/asia/in-korea-changes-in-society-and-family-dynamics-drive-rise-in-elderly-suicides.html?_r=0

Culture &Society- The Family System

http://www.planetesl.com/information/society.html

Korean Family System

http://http://www.prb.org/Publications/Articles/2010/

Family planning

koreafertility.aspxwww.eslsouthkorea.net/korean-family-system.html