Journal of Families and Better Life (가정과삶의질연구)

Korean Home Management Association (가정과삶의질학회)
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Which Couple Has More Shared Leisure Time? : The Exploration of Shared Leisure Time and Marital Relationship in Korea

어떤 부부가 함께 여가시간을 보내는가? : 부부공유여가시간의 현황과 부부관계의 질에 관한 탐색

  • Lee, Jiyeon (Department of Child Development & Family Studies, Seoul National University) ;
  • Chung, Grace H. (Department of Child Development & Family Studies/Research Institute of Human Ecology, Seoul National University)
  • Received : 2015.01.09
  • Accepted : 2015.03.15
  • Published : 2015.04.30
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Abstract

In recent years, leisure time has received increasing attention in Korean society. Despite the growing interest, however, there are very few studies that explored shared leisure time, especially among married couples. In this light, the present study examined variations in shared leisure time by demographic characteristics and associations between shared leisure time and quality of marital relationship. We used the third wave of the national data KLoWF (Korean Longitudinal Survey of Women and Families, 9,997 19-64 years old women). The study sample included 5,965 married women with no prior history of divorce. Results showed that Korean wives reported very little shared leisure time with their husbands. Given that the mean of the shared leisure time reported by employed women was significantly lower than that of the un-employed, we speculated that the time constraint may be one of the major barriers to having leisure time with one's spouse among Korean married couples. Married women in their 30's had the most frequent couple leisure time. The younger wives in their 20s had more cultural leisure time with their husbands, but sharing outdoor leisure time was not related to their age. The higher level of education for women was associated with greater shared active leisure time. However, visiting a husband's family often took place regardless of the wives' education level. After controlling for age, years of education, job status and annual family income, shared active leisure time (i.e., cultural activity and exercise) was positively related to marital satisfaction. Visiting one's own family, however, was not considered a leisure activity for Korean wives. Rather, frequent family visits were related to lower marital satisfaction. Findings shed light on how leisure life of married women with spouses are intertwined with not only their socioeconomic status and but also marital relationship in culturally unique ways.

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References

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