Ethnic Variations in Factors Contributing to the Life Satisfaction of Migrant Wives in South Korea

• Published date: 01 February 2013
• Date: 01 February 2013
• Author: Meejung Chin,Jaerim Lee,Soyoung Lee,Miai Sung
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1111/j.1741-3729.2012.00753.x

MIAI SUNG Korea National Open University

MEEJUNG CHIN Seoul National University∗

JAERIM LEE Yeungnam University∗∗

SOYOUNG LEE Montclair State University∗∗∗

Ethnic Variations in Factors Contributing to the Life

Satisfaction of Migrant Wives in South Korea

Using data from the 2009 National Survey on

Multicultural Families, we examined the fac-

tors associated with the level of life satisfaction

among migrant wives in South Korea. Sepa-

rate analyses were conducted for the four major

ethnic and national groups of migrant wives

in Korea: Chosun-jok (Korean Chinese), Han

Chinese, Vietnamese, and Filipinas. Overall,

migrant wives’ life satisfaction was significantly

associated with health, Korean proficiency, rela-

tionship satisfaction with the husband, family

material hardship, and family social status

change regardless of ethnicity or nationality.

Age, education, years in the current marriage,

number of children, meeting with friends from

the home country, community meetings, use of

Department of Home Economics, Korea National Open

University, Seoul 110-719, Republic of Korea.

∗Department of Child Development and Family Studies,

Seoul National University, Seoul 151-742, Republic of

Korea.

∗∗Department of Family and Housing Studies, Yeung-

nam University, 280 Daehak-ro, Gyeongsan, Gyeongbuk

712 – 749, Republic of Korea (jaerimlee@gmail.com).

∗∗∗Department of Family and Child Studies, Montclair State

University, Montclair, NJ 07043.

Key Words: life satisfaction, migrant wives, migration for

marriage, Multicultural Family Support Act of South Korea,

multiethnic families.

education and support services, discrimination,

and Korean citizenship, however, were related

to life satisfaction in different ways depending

on ethnicity or nationality.

Cultural diversity has recently emerged as an

important social issue in South Korea (Korea

hereafter) with the notable increase in the

number of migrant wives. Multiethnic marriages

accounted for 10.8% of all Korean marriages in

2009 with the majority (75.5%) being between

Korean men and migrant wives. Although the

number of migrant wives has steadily increased

since the 1990s, the social systems and cultural

environments of Korea are not yet mature

enough to deal with this cultural diversity given

that Korea has been an ethnically homogenous

country for thousands of years.

In this study, we aimed to understand the

extent to which migrant wives are satisfied with

their lives as members of multiethnic families.

Life satisfaction is widely considered to be the

central aspect of human welfare (Jan & Masood,

2008). We examined the level of life satisfaction

and explored the factors that contribute to their

life satisfaction to understand what promotes

or hinders their adjustment and well-being

in Korea from an ecological perspective. In

addition, because the migrant wives are from

226 Family Relations 62 (February 2013): 226 –240

DOI:10.1111/j.1741-3729.2012.00753.x