Abstract

With increased economic and employment opportunities for women, South Korean couples are challenged by division of labor in the family. This qualitative study examined how marital partners maintain their relationships in light of rapid social change. The study employed social constructionism and feminist theory as conceptual frameworks. Through social constructionism, I sought to understand the interactive roles marital partners perform as they attempt to balance family needs and responsibilities within the context of evolving gender ideas. Feminist theory provided an additional lens to further understand the nuances of partners’ beliefs and expectations about their own gender and that of their partners. Transcriptions were made of the recorded couples’ conjoint interviews and analyzed using grounded theory methodology. Some couples adopted patterns of their parents with wives automatically assuming responsibility for childcare. Other couples adopted traditional gender-based decisions regarding distribution of household responsibilities, but were not necessarily influenced by parental patterns. Dual-career couples used mutual decision-making regarding household responsibilities. For these couples, mutual formation of goals led to sharing of childcare and household responsibilities with neither partner dedicated to a fixed area of responsibility. The results from this study will deepen family therapists’ understanding of the different roles Korean partners perform as they balance advice from parents amidst social and cultural influences to their marital relationships. This study helps therapists untangle relationship problems by examining the intergenerational gender messages partners bring to their relationships. Understanding Korean couples’ issues will assist therapists develop marital and premarital programs.

LLU Discipline

Marital and Family Therapy

Department

Marital and Family Therapy

School

School of Behavioral Health

First Advisor

Douglas Huenergardt

Second Advisor

Mary Moline

Third Advisor

Winetta Oloo

Fourth Advisor

Sophorn Choau

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Degree Level

Ph.D.

Year Degree Awarded

2019

Date (Title Page)

6-2019

Language

English

Library of Congress/MESH Subject Headings

Marital Relationships -- South Korea; Social Constructionism; Feminist Theory; Grounded Theory; Gender Roles in Marriage

Type

Dissertation

Page Count

ix, 96 p.

Digital Format

PDF

Digital Publisher

Loma Linda University Libraries

Usage Rights

This title appears here courtesy of the author, who has granted Loma Linda University a limited, non-exclusive right to make this publication available to the public. The author retains all other copyrights.

Collection

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Collection Website

http://scholarsrepository.llu.edu/etd/

Repository

Loma Linda University. Del E. Webb Memorial Library. University Archives

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