Established multicultural families' work and life : the impact of employment and perceived Korean husbands' practical support on migrant wives' life satisfaction

Abstract

As multicultural families become more established in Korea, researchers have paid increasing attention to enhancing the families’ quality of life. The number of multicultural families was only 619 in 1990 but jumped to 750,000 as of 2013. It is projected that the multicultural families will be accounted for 5 % of the total population, which is the enormously conspicuous number given that Korean society had been a homogeneous society for a long time. While several Korean studies have examined acculturation process of immigrants, there is little understanding of multicultural families’ work and family life. The purpose of this study is to investigate migrant women’s later stage of adaptation by measuring their subjective perception of life satisfaction focusing on two key factors: migrant wives’ employment and perceived practical support from Korean husbands. Using data from the 2012 National Survey on Multicultural Families, a nationwide survey implemented in Korea, the hierarchical regression model of migrant wives’ life satisfaction was conducted with the following set of predictors: demographics, social-relationship factors, and employment and perceived practical support from Korean husbands in household labor and child-caring. Study results found that the higher levels of life satisfaction were observed among migrant wives who had higher levels of relationship satisfaction with Korean husbands (β = .414, p < .001), had more participation in community events and activities (β = .059, p < .001), and had more networks with people (β = .017, p < .001). Two main predictors also contributed to determine levels of life satisfaction. Employed migrant wives showed lower levels of life satisfaction than non-employed wives (β = -.083, p < .001). Migrant wives who had higher levels of perceived practical support from Korean husbands in child care showed higher levels of life satisfaction (β = .018, p < .001), but no impact was found in housework. For established multicultural families, findings highlight the importance of perceived practical support from Korean husbands particularly in childcare as a critical resource of support. Social work implications were discussed in order to improve established migrant wives’ life satisfaction and enhance their later stage of integration in Korean society.