A generational comparison of young adults' needs for family strengths and functions : A study on 1st and 2nd echoboomers

청년층 세대 비교로 살펴본 가족 건강성과 기능 요구도: 1차 및 2차 에코부머를 중심으로

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to compare the first echo boomer to second in the needs for family strengths and family functions, after controlling the sociodemographic characteristics. Method: For this study, a survey was conducted with 406 never-married young adults, which has 182 first echo boomers and 224 seconds echo boomers as using the same self-report questionnaire. Results: First, the two echo boomer groups exhibited similar patterns in their perception of the three family strengths, positive family values, pursuit of coexistence, and spiritual value, in that order. On the other hand, in regard to family functions, groups' perceived emotion entertainment leisure function as core functions of the family, but the second echo boomers, unlike the first echo boomers, expressed a higher need for economic functions rather than functions for children generation. Second, the analysis of this study indicated that, even in cases where first and second echo boomers had the same social-demographic characteristics, the latter in contrast with the former tended not to regard spiritual values such love for shared ethical values, compassion, and religious beliefs as a family strength, and did not require functions for children generation of the family. Conclusions: From these findings, the differences in the needs for family strengths and functions expressed by the two generations belonging to two different birth cohorts were influenced by various changes in Korean society occurring between the two generations, such as the social divergence in the functions of care and nurture, the increase in one-person and childless households, and the weakening of kinship-centered or communitarian forms of familism.