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2023Hyuna Moon, Minja Kim Choe Citation: Hyuna Moon, Minja Kim Choe. (2023). Korean Family Law Revisited: Focusing on the Revisions Related to Gender Equality. Korea Journal, 63(4): 111-136. doi:10.25024/kj.2023.63.4.111Language: EnglishJournal: Korea Journal Publication Date: 2023. 06. 19Keywords: family law, hojuje, son-preference, low fertility, gender equality Abstract: This article aims to analyze significant changes in family law and their relationship to gender equality, which has emerged as one of several factors contributing to low fertility in Korea from a socio-legal perspective. Fertility changes in Korea can be categorized into two distinct periods. The first period, spanning from 1960 to the late-1990s, saw a rapid decline in the fertility rate from approximately six children per woman to slightly below the replacement level. The second period began around the early 2000s, and is characterized by a further decline in the fertility rate to an extremely low level that continues until recent times. During the first phase of low fertility, several revisions were made to the family law, including major revisions related to hojuje, along with subsequent changes. This paper analyzes the implications of some of these family law revisions, specifically, examining provisions related to son preference and gender discrimination in inheritance and the parent-child relationship in family law and their impact on fertility. Through this analysis, this study aims to establish a connection between the revisions of family law and changes in fertility, ultimately shedding light on the complex relationship between law and society in modern Korea.
This survey contains data related to COVID-19 and Korea's childcare survey. Due to social distancing during the heist of COVID-19, the burden of care for each family has increased significantly. In particular, due to the closure of care institutions such as kindergartens and schools, parents with young children suffered a lot. The Center for Transnational Migration and Social Inclusion and Gallup Korea surveyed 1200 married men and women with children 0-12 years old to find about the impact of COVID-19 on care at home. In March 2021, we conducted a second survey that expanded the number of samples to 2016 parents nationwide and added questions about their experiences over the past year. Through this survey, we collected a wide range of information on whether to work from home, experience in caring for children during telecommuting, and who mainly cared for their children and were in charge of housework during social distancing due to COVID-19. Based on the results of these surveys, we are conducting research to see how gender inequality in care, which existed in Korean society, intensifies in emergency situations such as COVID-19, how government policies such as family care leave and emergency care were accepted and what are the problems. The Center for Transnational Migration and Social Inclusion plans to provide practical solutions based on such empirical data to continue to seek alternatives to what measures should be taken if situations such as COVID-19 continue in the future.
Reports
2021 Man-Yee Kan, Muzhi Zhou, Daniela Veronica Negraia, Kamila Kolpashnikova, Ekaterina Hertog, Shohel Yoda & Jiweon JunTitle: How do Older Adults Spend Their Time? Gender Gaps and Educational Gradients in Time Use in East Asian and Western Countries (https://doi.org/10.1007/s12062-021-09345-3)Language: EnglishPublishing Date: July 2021(Accepted)Abstract: This study is the first to document how older adults in East Asian and Western societies spend their time, across four key dimensions of daily life, by respondent's gender and education level. To do this, we undertook a pioneering effort and harmonized cross-sectional time-use data from East Asian countries (China, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan) with data from Multinational Time Use Study (Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Italy, The Netherlands, Norway, Spain, United Kingdom, United States; to which we refer as Western countries), collected between 2000 and 2015.  Findings from bivariate and multivariate models suggest that the daily time budgets of East Asian older adults are different from their counterparts in most Western countries. Specifically, gender gaps in domestic work, leisure, and sleep time were larger in East Asian contexts, than in Western countries. Gender gaps in paid work were larger in China compared to all other regions. Higher levels were associated with less paid work, more leisure, and less sleep time in East Asian countries, while in Western countries they were associated with more paid work, less domestic work, and less sleep. Interestingly, Italy and Spain, two Southern European welfare regimes, shared more similarities with East Asian countries than with other Western countries. We Interpret and discuss the implications of these findings for population aging research and welfare policies. 
Journal Articles
2023Hyuna Moon, Minja Kim Choe Citation: Hyuna Moon, Minja Kim Choe. (2023). Korean Family Law Revisited: Focusing on the Revisions Related to Gender Equality. Korea Journal, 63(4): 111-136. doi:10.25024/kj.2023.63.4.111Language: EnglishJournal: Korea Journal Publication Date: 2023. 06. 19Keywords: family law, hojuje, son-preference, low fertility, gender equality Abstract: This article aims to analyze significant changes in family law and their relationship to gender equality, which has emerged as one of several factors contributing to low fertility in Korea from a socio-legal perspective. Fertility changes in Korea can be categorized into two distinct periods. The first period, spanning from 1960 to the late-1990s, saw a rapid decline in the fertility rate from approximately six children per woman to slightly below the replacement level. The second period began around the early 2000s, and is characterized by a further decline in the fertility rate to an extremely low level that continues until recent times. During the first phase of low fertility, several revisions were made to the family law, including major revisions related to hojuje, along with subsequent changes. This paper analyzes the implications of some of these family law revisions, specifically, examining provisions related to son preference and gender discrimination in inheritance and the parent-child relationship in family law and their impact on fertility. Through this analysis, this study aims to establish a connection between the revisions of family law and changes in fertility, ultimately shedding light on the complex relationship between law and society in modern Korea.
This survey contains data related to COVID-19 and Korea's childcare survey. Due to social distancing during the heist of COVID-19, the burden of care for each family has increased significantly. In particular, due to the closure of care institutions such as kindergartens and schools, parents with young children suffered a lot. The Center for Transnational Migration and Social Inclusion and Gallup Korea surveyed 1200 married men and women with children 0-12 years old to find about the impact of COVID-19 on care at home. In March 2021, we conducted a second survey that expanded the number of samples to 2016 parents nationwide and added questions about their experiences over the past year. Through this survey, we collected a wide range of information on whether to work from home, experience in caring for children during telecommuting, and who mainly cared for their children and were in charge of housework during social distancing due to COVID-19. Based on the results of these surveys, we are conducting research to see how gender inequality in care, which existed in Korean society, intensifies in emergency situations such as COVID-19, how government policies such as family care leave and emergency care were accepted and what are the problems. The Center for Transnational Migration and Social Inclusion plans to provide practical solutions based on such empirical data to continue to seek alternatives to what measures should be taken if situations such as COVID-19 continue in the future.
Reports
2021 Man-Yee Kan, Muzhi Zhou, Daniela Veronica Negraia, Kamila Kolpashnikova, Ekaterina Hertog, Shohel Yoda & Jiweon JunTitle: How do Older Adults Spend Their Time? Gender Gaps and Educational Gradients in Time Use in East Asian and Western Countries (https://doi.org/10.1007/s12062-021-09345-3)Language: EnglishPublishing Date: July 2021(Accepted)Abstract: This study is the first to document how older adults in East Asian and Western societies spend their time, across four key dimensions of daily life, by respondent's gender and education level. To do this, we undertook a pioneering effort and harmonized cross-sectional time-use data from East Asian countries (China, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan) with data from Multinational Time Use Study (Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Italy, The Netherlands, Norway, Spain, United Kingdom, United States; to which we refer as Western countries), collected between 2000 and 2015.  Findings from bivariate and multivariate models suggest that the daily time budgets of East Asian older adults are different from their counterparts in most Western countries. Specifically, gender gaps in domestic work, leisure, and sleep time were larger in East Asian contexts, than in Western countries. Gender gaps in paid work were larger in China compared to all other regions. Higher levels were associated with less paid work, more leisure, and less sleep time in East Asian countries, while in Western countries they were associated with more paid work, less domestic work, and less sleep. Interestingly, Italy and Spain, two Southern European welfare regimes, shared more similarities with East Asian countries than with other Western countries. We Interpret and discuss the implications of these findings for population aging research and welfare policies. 
Journal Articles