Characteristics of Marriage Immigrants' Acculturation Stage and the Source of Support: With an Emphasis on Filipino Marriage Immigrants' Family Life Culture in Korea

결혼이주여성의 한국가정생활 문화적응 단계별 특성 -필리핀 결혼이주여성을 중심으로-

The purpose of this study is to determine the characteristics of Filipino marriage immigrants' acculturation stages in regards to their Korean family life culture and to identify the source of the support for each stage, hence to provide information for educational programs that would promote successful acculturation for each stage. The following findings have been obtained through in-depth interviews with 18 female Filipino immigrants to Korea. In a range of obstacles from the Honeymoon Stage to the Confusion stage, the first are the language and the aspects of the food/cooking/ingredients/diet that are different from their own culture. Especially, pregnancy/childbirth is a major change in one's life and the biggest challenge in the acculturation process. As food and cooking are the first change that the immigrants have to face and get accustomed to in the early stage of their Korean life, the food culture is rather easier for the immigrants to get accustomed to than other parts of Korean life. From the Honeymoon Stage to the Harmony Stage, the immigrants make efforts to help their family in the home, while they look to their future in their children during the Autonomy Stage. Regardless of how long they have been in Korea, from the Honeymoon Stage to the Autonomy Stage, the immigrants have a hard time with the patriarchal environment in Korea due to the bilateral nature of kinship in the Philippines. Secondly, the immigrants receive the most support from their husband, family, and the tutors in Korean culture, while their mothers-in-law are the main source of the support for the Korean diet. At the Confusion Stage, the immigrants start visiting the regional multicultural family support centers and get help from the friends they meet there while depending on the TV for cooking tips. From the Harmony Stage, they may seek a job through the community network with their own effort and their children's help. In the Autonomy Stage, they are concerned about their children rather than their own parents, and they find their own identity as a Korean and realize that their effort is important.