• Korea journal of population studies
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.65-96
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• 1997

The main purpose of this study is to explore the determinants of sex ratio imbalance at birth in Taegu which has experienced the extremely imbalanced sex ratio at birth since mid-1980s. This paper attempts to compare the determinants of sex ratio imbalance at birth, such as sex discrimination against women, son preference, prenatal sex identification followes by sex-selective induced abortions, among married women aged 25 to 44 in Taegu with those in Bay area, California in USA. The research is based on the survey data which were conducted in Taegu, Repulic of Korea and Bay area, California in USA. The findings of this analysis suggest that married women in Taegu are more likely to feel sex discrimination against women than married women in Bay area. Furthermore, the percentage of married women's effort for son bearing before pregnancy is much higher than that of married women in Bay area. We also have found that the percentage of sex-selective induced abortion in Taegu is six times higher than that of married women in Bay area. According to the logistic regression analysis, the determinants of sex-selective induced abortion among married women in Taegu are discrimination against women, son preference, prenatal sex identification. On the other hand, age is the only variable which has an important impact on sex-selective induced abortion among married women in Bay area. From the findings of this study, we can conclude that son preference based on Cofucianism is the most important impact on sex ratio imbalance at birth in Taegu where son preference is much stronger than other regions in Korea. The phenomenon of extremely imbalanced sex ratio at birth in Taegu is the result of combination of these factors, such as strong son preference, seeking to have at least one son within small family size, and prenatal sex identification followed by sex-selective induced abortion.

• The Korean Journal of Applied Statistics
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.365-373
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• 2009

Since 1990, identifying the sex of fetus and illegal abortion has brought the sex ratio imbalance at birth in Korea due to a notion of preferring a son to a daughter, socio-economic development, population policy, and so forth. Although there have been many researches such as time series analysis and region difference analysis to monitor this sex ratio imbalance, they have a defect that time and space could not be included in the analysis simultaneously. This study analyzes the sex ratio imbalance at birth, taking into account time and region at the same time. The analysis considered the numbers of male and female babies, who were born as the third or latter in their families, in 2000 and 2001 at 234 Gu / Si / Goon administrative districts. Here, we suggest a mixture model of binomial distributions, assuming heterogeneous populations. The estimation of the location parameters, weights and correlation coefficient of the mixture model is conducted by the EM algorithm, and the heterogeneity of the regions is expressed as a picture using ArcView GIS.

• Korea journal of population studies
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.77-97
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• 1994

Despite the fact that the national family planning program in korea has accomplished its primary goals of fertility reduction and universal contraceptive use, the induced abortion is still high and there has been an increasing trend in the population sex ratio at birth. It seems that the changes in the imbalance of sex ratio have originated from traditonal boy preference. This indicates that much of the current family planning program can be overhauled, so that the program quality could be better controlled, by preventing the number of unwanted pregnancies and the imbalance of sex ratios. This paper aims, therefore, to examine the determinants of induced abortion through the investigation of pregnancy outcomes and their changes over time and to study the interaction between induced abortion, boy preference and the imbalance of sex ratio in Korea. The abortion rate had increased rapidly until the mid-1980s when there were about the same number of abortions as live births. Thereafter, the abortion rate has been maintained at this high level. By parity it shows a much higher abortion rate for a higher parity at all time. From the first parity, the sex composition of previous children stands out as the most important factor in deciding the pregnancy outcome at all time. The probability of a pregnancy ending in an abortion increases substantially when parents already had a son. The decline of the desired family size and the sustained strong son preference has made the sex of children a more important factor in the determination of the pregnancy outcome. Women's education has had consistently positive effects on the probability of a pregnancy ending in an abortion, but the effect shows a steady decline over time. The premarital pregnancy and urban residence also increase the abortion probability. This study suggests that the main concerns of the family planning program should be to strengthen the social support policies so as to weaken the son preference value leading to a balanced sex ratio and prevention of induced abortions.

• Korea journal of population studies
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.79-115
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• 2001

This research explores determinants of induced abortion in Korea. Data from the 1997 Korea National Fertility Survey by Korea Institute of Health and Social Affairs are used for this research. Another aim of this study is to verify a methodological appropriateness of survival analysis in the study of determinants of induced abortion. I compare the result of survival analysis with that of logit analysis for this purpose. In this study, it is revealed that age at conception, number of children, and number of son that have been considered as determinants of induced abortion are still significant in determining induced abortion. However, unlike results of prior research, the practice of contraception does not affect the choice of induced abortion when I control for that the conception was wanted or not. I also find that there is a significant interaction between number of son at the time of conception and intention of the conception. Induced abortion has a far reaching impact on a society as well as on the health and well-being of a woman. In Korean society, sex-selective induced abortion with son preference can cause a very high level of imbalance of sex ratio at birth. Hence, it is so important to be more cautious to the practice and prevalence of induced abortion in the age of lowe fertility.

• Korea journal of population studies
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.73-96
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• 1999

본 연구의 목적은 1980년대 중반부터 약 10여년 동안 현저한 출생시 성비불균형을 경험한 대구지역의 경산부들을 대상으로 아들을 낳기 위한 노력에 미치는 요인들을 밝히는데 있다. 1998년 4월부터 6월까지의 3개월동안 대구지역의 6개 종합병원에 내원한 임산부들 가운데 출산 경험이 있는 경산부를 대상으로 실시한 설문조사자료를 사용하였으며 경산부의 아들 낳기 노력에 영향을 미치는 요인들을 규명하기 위하여 로지스틱 회귀분석을 도입하였다. 연구결과에 따르면 대구지역의 경산부들은 여성에 대한 성차별을 많이 느끼고 있을 뿐만 아니라 아들 선호의식 역시 상당히 높은 것으로 나타났다. 연구대상자들의 24.7%는 임신 전 아들을 낳기 위한 노력은 한 경험이 있다고 응답하였으며 12.2%는 태아의 선별적 인공유산을 통하여 아들을 낳기 위한 노력을 시도한 경험이 있는 것으로 밝혀졌다. 로지스틱 회귀분석 결과에 따르면 여성에 대한 성차별, 아들선호의식, 자녀 가운데 아들이 없는 경우, 인공임신중절수술 및 연령 등의 요인들이 조사대상자들의 아들을 낳기 위한 노력에 통계적으로 유의미한 영향을 미치는 것으로 밝혀졌다. 이러한 결과로 미루어 보아 대구지역의 출생시 성비가 다른 지역보다 높은 이유는 아들을 선호하고 여성을 차별하는 의식의 기반이 되었던 과거 농경 중심사회의 오랜 전통이 상대적으로 많이 남아있는 보수적인 성향의 결과라 할 수 있다. 뿐만 아니라 이러한 성향이 소자녀관으로 변화된 현대에 있어도 아들 하나는 꼭 낳아야겠다는 강한 집념이 현대 의료기기의 발달 및 보급과 의료인들의 영리추구와 이해관계가 부합됨으로써 생겨난 결과로 볼 수 있다. 시설입소의 인종간 차이를 통제할 때 소수인종노인이 백인노인보다 쉽게 자녀동거에서 단독거주로 이행하는데 이는 소수인종에서 가족부양체계가 불안정함을 의미한다. 또한 빈곤시에 소수인종 노인은 백인노인에 비하여 쉽게 자녀와 떨어져 살게 된다. 이러한 결과는 소수인종 노인에 대한 가족의 지원은 그 가족의 경제적 제약속에서 매우 안정적이지 못함을 시사한다. 못함을 시사한다.로 판단된다.(가솔린, 등유, 경유)로 회수 가능하였다..01 (n=10), 4세포기배는 1.05$\pm$0.09 (n=10)를 나타냄으로써 수정란의 단계마다 $E_2$의 반응 결과가 차이가 남을 알 수 있었다. 4. $E_2$농도 곡선에서 PMSG 처리 후 $E_2$의 혈중농도는 계속적인 상승을 보이다가 배란시기에 최고치를 나타내었으며, 배란 후 다시 감소하여 8세포기에서는 급격한 감소현상이 나타났다. 이후 다시 상실기를 거쳐 배반포기 임신기간동안 $E_2$의 농도가 상승하였다. 5. $E_2$처리 후 세포내 $Ca^{2+}$ 농도변화의 결과로, $E_2$를 처리하지 않은 난자들의 세포내 $Ca^{2+}$ 농도는 836.4$\pm$131.2 (n=10), $E_2$를 처리한 난자들은 1736.4$\pm$192.0 (n=10)로써 유의한 (P<0.05) 차이를 보였다. 이상의 결과로부터 $E_2$처리에 의한 세포내

• Korea journal of population studies
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.182-227
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• 1998

Korean government decided to adopt an explicit population control policy in 1961 and from the following year the establishment and operation of the national family planning programme was included in each of the Five-Year Economic Development Plans that began in 1962. This policy was pursued in the understanding that without proper population control measures korea could not be able to achieve economic development. Korean national family planning programme is characterized by contraceptive target system through public health network with distribution of free contraceptives by family planning field workers and clinical contraceptive services such as IUD, vasectomy and tubaligation at designated clinics by the government. In addition, IE&C activities by the Planned Parenthood Federation of Korea and programme evaluation and research by the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs contributed to the development of the government programme. Between 1960 and mid 1980s the nation's total fertility rate was reduced from 6.0 to population replacement level of 2.1 and thereafter it has been maintained at 1.6 to 1.7 of below replacement level. With a short period of less than three decades fertility transition was completed in Korea. It is estimated that if the current level of below replacement fertility continues, the population in Korea stabilize at around 52.78 million people by the year 2028, and it will begin to decrease thereafter. Under this circumstances, the government adopted new directions and strategies of the population policy in June 1996, focused primarily on population quality and social welfare than on demographic arenas. In spite of over 80 percent of high contraceptive prevalence among married women, high incidence of induced abortions is maintained. Moreover, the prevalence of sex selective induced abortions using procedures to determine the sex of the fetus has resulted in an imbalance in the sex ratio at birth. In order to overcome those problems associated with reproductive health new policy for population quality control and health promotion programme should be highly strengthened in the future.