• Korean Journal of Adult Nursing
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• v.22 no.5
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• pp.477-487
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• 2010

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore health-related experiences of the foreign wives. Methods: A qualitative research design was used to understand the health-related experiences of foreign wives. Ten informants were interviewed from December 2007 to December 2009. Results: The health related life experiences of foreign wives were analyzed within a self development process; Choice and struggle, Change and opportunity, and Settlement and expectation. The theme of choice and struggle includes physical and emotional stress in the initial stage of marriage. The second process of change and opportunity focused on the coping strategies of the women having power after knowledge acquisition from the multicultural family support center. The last theme was health and happiness from the women' perspectives. Conclusion: This study has emphasized the health condition of the foreign wives. Since foreign wives are members of Korean society, health care professionals need to design health services to meet their needs.

• Journal of Families and Better Life
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• v.26 no.6
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• pp.83-94
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• 2008

The purpose of this study was to identify what factors are associated with marital satisfaction of the foreign wives who live in small town. Data for the study were based on a snowball sampling of 101 foreign wives who married to Korean husbands and had residence in Changwon and Masan city, Gyeongnam, Korea. The respondents reported higher levels of marital satisfaction and lower levels of marital hardship. To identify the variables affecting marital satisfaction, a regression analysis was conducted. Independent variables included age difference, educational difference, monthly income, conformity of information about husband, marital hardship, relationship with parents-in-law and taking class with husband. While conformity of information about husband, marital hardship and taking class with husband had strong effects on marital satisfaction of the foreign wives, age difference, educational difference, monthly income and relationship with parents-in-law didn't show the significant effects on the marital satisfaction of the foreign wives.

• Journal of Families and Better Life
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.1-12
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• 2010

This study identifies how marital interaction influences the marital instability of foreign wives. Data for the study were based on a snowball sampling of 101 foreign wives married to Korean husbands in Gyeongnam, Korea. The respondents reported higher levels of perceived spousal support, marital satisfaction, and sexual satisfaction, but reported lower levels of spousal hostility. A hierarchical regression analysis was conducted to identify the variables that affect marital instability. Independent variables included in the study were years married, religion, monthly income, educational level, perceived husband support, sexual satisfaction, marital satisfaction, and perceived husband hostility. While religion, educational level, sexual satisfaction, marital satisfaction, and perceived husband hostility had a strong effects on the marital instability of foreign wives, years of marriage, monthly income, and perceived husband support did not show significant effect on marital instability. Marital satisfaction had the strongest effect on marital instability.

• Korea journal of population studies
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.1-26
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• 2008

The main purpose of this paper is to explore the impacts of foreign wife status and social capital on fertility among a group of Chinese, Vietnamese and Japanese wives in Korea. Attention is focused on the argument that minority group status and immigrant social capital exerts an independent effect on fertility, apart from socioeconomic and demographic variables. It is hypothesized that the level and tempo of fertility of foreign wives reflect their social disadvantages and the adaptation process. Micro-data from two socio-demographic surveys were utilized to analyze the reproductive outcomes of foreign and native wives in Korea. Results of analyses reveal that foreign wives in Korea tend to have fewer children compared to native Korean women. It was found that a foreign wife's access to social capital significantly facilitates reproductive behavior. Those who engage themselves more in voluntary activities, have more friends in Korea, and possess better and higher-quality social networks tend to have more children. Foreign wives with a high degree of integration or assimilation to the new surroundings were also found to have more children than other foreign wives.

• Journal of the Korean Home Economics Association
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.265-278
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• 1996

This study was designed to examine the level of middle-aged wives' buying tendency of foreign appliances and the degree of their satisfaction, as well as to examine socio-demographic variables, psychological variables and their influences on buying tendency and post-purchase satisfaction. 318 middle-aged wives residing in Seoul and Pusan were questionnaired. Major finding are as follows: 1) Middle-aged wives' buying-tendency of foreign appliances proved more than middle-point. 2) Variables that affect buying-tendency are four: income, education level, preference for expensive goods, preference for well-known labels. 3) Variables that affect post-purchase satisfaction of foreign appliances are four: imcome, husband's occupation, preference for expensive goods, buying tendency.

• Korean Journal of Organic Agriculture
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• v.19 no.spc
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• pp.67-70
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• 2011

In 2006, 41% of newly-married Korean men living in agriculture or fishery area were married to foreign wives. These foreign wives suffer social, cultural, and psychological maladjustment. They need support in understanding Korean culture & language, economic independence, and mental health. This horticultural therapy program (HT program) was practiced to help the foreign wives gain emotional stability, to help them adapt to rural society, and to help them improve the relationship with their families. The participants of this HT program were 10 foreign wives, 5 Chinese, 2 Vietnamese, 1 Japanese, 1 Thai, and 1 Filipina. Total sessions were 12, and each session lasted for two hours. This program started April and ended July in 2007. After this program, self-esteem of participants increased from 29.6 to 33.5, and stress decreased from 77.3 to 64.7. Participants also expressed sense of satisfaction and accomplishment after the program.

• International Journal of Human Ecology
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.13-27
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• 2008

The advancement of information and transportation technologies in the context of economic and cultural globalization facilitates international marriages. However, it is ironic that image and fantasies play a significant role in the actual process of these marriages. Using data from a national survey conducted in 2006 (Survey for the Conjugal Life of the International Marriage Families) this study examines the experiences of Korean men and foreign wives. The findings confirm the negative impacts on marital satisfaction of the spousal image of hypergamy (i.e., imaginings of a high-earning husband and a submissive wife) and abbreviated marriage processes (i.e., broker-mediated marriage and incorrect information about a future spouse), but the detailed patterns differ by gender and by the ethnic origin of the wife. Korean Chinese (and to a lesser extent Han Chinese) wives are more negatively affected by the marriage process and spousal imaginings than are Southeast Asians and 'other' wives. While Southeast Asian wives are more likely to have received incorrect information about their husbands, they show significantly more flexible attitudes toward the marriage and spouses. Unification Church members are excluded from the analysis because their marital lives are distinctive enough to warrant separate research. As previous qualitative findings suggested, some Korean Chinese wives seem to perceive that returnees to the home country deserve an improvement in economic status as opposed to the disappointing reality. Imagining a submissive wife hurts the marital satisfaction of husbands regardless of the ethnic origin of the wife.

• Korea journal of population studies
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.131-157
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• 2008

The purpose of this study was to examine the difference in depression level of Japanese, Chinese and Vietnamese wives who are residing in Korean society. Special focus was taken to compare the differences in terms of the origin of nationality. Guided by the role theory, we analyzed the effect of parental role and work role on depression of foreign wives. Also we considered the social resources, ethnic characteristic that are well-known to be associated with the role performance, in this study. The data came from the sample of 524 foreign wives case (Japanese 35%, Chinese 31%, Vietnamese 34%). The result show us that depression level is different by origin of nationality of foreign wives: Vietnamese wives were more depressed compare to Japanese or Chinese wives. The effects of two social role on depression were significant even if the social resources and ethnicity are considered in the model. However, the strength of the effect of social roles were different by one another: having a job was especially effective to decrease the Chinese wife's depression level, while for the Vietnamese wives, parental role was essential to lower the depression level. In addition, the social determinants of depression were differ by the nationalities of wives. The results imply that the social adaptation process of foreign wife may be varied by the origin of nationality.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.188-198
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• 2016

This study explored the experience of clinical nurses caring for foreign wives in Korea. A narrative study approach within the qualitative research paradigm was applied in this study. The data were collected using individual in-depth interviews with 10 clinical nurses who had at least 5 years working experiences caring for foreign wives and their children in the Women and Children's clinical setting. The narrative stories of the clinical nurses were analyzed in the frame of culture-bounded nursing care. In the culture-bounded nursing care, ethnocentric viewpoints, acceptable viewpoints, and culture-based viewpoints were identified within the time frame. Significantly, the narrator identified herself as a therapeutic caregiver in the culture-based viewpoints providing tailored caregiving for foreign wives. This study requires cultural sensitivity of nurses who care for the people with different cultural backgrounds. Self-awareness would be the starting point to reach culturally competent nursing care.

• Korean Journal of Human Ecology
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.81-96
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• 2004

The purpose of this study is to examme the foreign and korean child care service. and to provide the political proposal for employ of working wives and enhancement of home welfare. The political proposals for working wives are as follows ; Now societal recognition that all children are the responsibility of our society is needed to provide the good quality child care service. Our society should support the child care service to be provided a variety of service by child care staff. and should promote the administration and direction in child care center and service. Most of all. societal support, administration and direction should be the same in home-based care and center-based care.