Changes in Family, Domestic, and Agricultural Joint Decision-Making among Rural Korean

Couples: A Longitudinal Study

Duk-Byeong ParkDepartment of Community Development, Kongju National University, Korea

and

Gary A. GorehamDepartment of Sociology and Anthropology, North Dakota State University

Rural Sociological Society annual meetingJuly 31-August 3, 2014

New Orleans, LA

South KoreaModernization. Industrialization.

Urbanization. Economic development.

• Post WW2 (1948). Kim Il-Sung established communist regime in the north; Syngman Rhee established capitalist regime in the south.

• Korean War (1950-1953).

• Rapid economic growth (1960s). Pres. Park Chung Hee.

• Democratic elections, freedom of press, more human rights (1987).

• Growing population: 47,470,970 (2000); 50,219,669 (2013).

• Declining rural population: high 19,300,260, 67.6% (1965); low 8,362,474, 16.8% (2011).

• Decreasing crude birth rate: 15.1 (2000); 8.4 (2012).

• Increasing GDP per capita: $17,990 (2004); $23,893 (2014, constant 2000 USD).

• Increase in female farmers: 47.8% (2000): 59.5% (2009) (MAF 2009).

Korean retail market, 1960s

Korean retail market, 2014

Photos: Ed Adams and Gary Goreham.

Building construction, 1960s

Building construction, 2014

Rice planting, 1960s

Rice planting, 2014

• South Korean gender-based division of family life tasks is changing.

• Rural families increasingly rely on wives’ labor to manage farms (Anthopoulou 2010; Bokemeier & Garkovich 1987; Damisa & Yohanna 2007).

• Rural women’s labor participation in farming doubled from 28% in 1970 to 52% in 2006 (Kang 2008).

• Rural women’s labor force participation and hourly earnings were higher than their husbands in 2005 (Statistics Korea 2005).

• Women farmers are more involved in decision-making; they expanded the areas in which they make decisions (Choi 2001).

Rural Couples’ Decision-Making

Research Questions

• How has the gender-based division of family life tasks changed in rural Korea over the past decade?

• How has joint decision-making changed for rural farm couples? For rural nonfarm couples?

• Do rural couples make decisions differently based on the type or dimension of family life?

Relative Resource Theory • Spouses with more socio-economic resources may

leverage those resources when delegating domestic work.

• The differential in resources between husbands and wives leads to inequality in family gender roles (Kamo 1988).

Gender Role Theory• Men and women engage in different work activities with

different perceived value.

• The work in which women engage, whether inside and outside the home, may be valued less than the work in which men engage (Deseran and Simpkins 1991).

H1: Both rural farm and nonfarm couples engage in increasing amounts of joint decision-making.

H2: The rate of increase in joint decision-making for rural farm couples is substantial; less so for nonfarm couples.

H2a: Increases in joint decision-making for farm couples are expected particularly in agricultural work and family life given the increase in wives’ on- and off-farm labor participation.

H3: Given the traditional nature of rural households, couples’ joint decision-making in domestic work has not increased significantly.

Research Methods

• “Survey on the Rural Living Indicators” conducted by the Rural Development Administration in Korea; longitudinal panel of rural couples; November 2000, 2005, and 2009.

• Cluster sampling: 10 households selected by stratified sampling from 187 community districts out of 12 enumeration districts. Sample of 1,870 rural households.

• N=1,409 (2000); 1,492 (2005); 1,564 (2009).

2000 2005 2009

Region Eup (town or village)Myen (remote rural village)

34.765.3

37.662.4

37.662.4

Farm/Nonfarm Farm householdsNonfarm households

68.032.0

77.222.8

73.426.6

Age Under 2930-3940-4950-59Over 60

12.919.119.828.919.3

7.918.820.128.824.4

4.916.321.727.529.7

Occupation AgricultureOther

49.051.0

74.026.0

61.039.0

Family type One personOne generationTwo generationThree or more generations

14.731.038.815.5

15.433.535.016.1

15.836.932.914.4

Demographic Profile of the Participants (in %; N=1,870)

12 indicators of joint-decision in 3 clustersAgricultural work variables:

1. Buying and selling land and house

2. Selling farm products

3. Money management

Family life variables:

4. Household expenses

5. Choosing TV channels

6. Managing children’s education

7. Caring for children

8. Deciding on donations

9. Associating with relatives

Domestic work variables:

10. Cooking and dishwashing

11. Laundry

12. Cleaning house

Scale:

1=fully husband

2=generally husband

3=together

4=generally wife

5=fully wife

Rural Farm and Nonfarm Couples’ Joint Decision-Making,Comparing 2000, 2005, and 2009

1=fully husband, 2=generally husband, 3=together, 4=generally wife, 5=fully wife

Agricultural Work Variable

Type of household Year N Mean SD F

Buying and selling land and house

Farm household

2000a 1,037 2.1 0.953

27.910***

2005b 1,150 2.32 0.862

2009b 1,141 2.38 0.867

Nonfarm household

2000a 341 2.35 0.904

2.179

2005a 246 2.48 0.817

2009a 315 2.48 0.908

Selling farm products

Farm household

2000a 1,018 2.36 1.024

24.877***

2005b 1,109 2.6 0.903

2009b 1,115 2.61 0.871

Nonfarm household

2000a 83 2.72 0.852

0.722

2005a 84 2.75 0.863

2009a 96 2.86 0.936

Money management

Farm household

2000a 1,034 1.47 0.736

3.552*

2005 ab 1,143 1.51 0.716

2009 b 1,138 1.55 0.746

Nonfarm household

2000a 365 1.87 0.843

0.576

2005 a 257 1.82 0.81

2009 a 314 1.8 0.812

Rural Couples’ Decision-making Scores for Agricultural Work, Comparing 2000, 2005, and 2009

*** p < 0.001, ** p < 0.01, * p < 0.05; a, b, c: Duncan post-hoc test

Rural Couples’ Decision-making Scores for Family Life, Comparing 2000, 2005, and 2009

Family Life Variable Type of household Year N Mean SD F

Household expense

Farm household

2000a 1,043 2.78 1.045

18.407***

2005b 1,152 2.97 0.883

2009b 1,137 3 0.853

Nonfarm household

2000a 368 3.12 1.038

0.198

2005a 255 3.17 0.869

2009a 312 3.15 0.898

Choosing TV channel

Farm household

2000a 1,043 2.7 1.026

9.942***

2005a 1,151 2.73 0.899

2009b 1,140 2.87 0.881

Nonfarm household

2000a 368 2.84 0.954

0.657

2005a 258 2.76 0.886

2009a 315 2.79 0.831

Managing children’s education

Farm household

2000a 1,000 2.87 0.858

8.672***

2005b 1,117 2.98 0.701

2009b 1,120 2.99 0.66

Nonfarm household

2000a 353 3.07 0.821

0.028

2005a 246 3.09 0.703

2009a 307 3.07 0.694

Family Life Variable Type of household Year N Mean SD F

Caring for children

Farm household

2000a 946 2.66 0.517

3.606*

2005b 1,044 2.6 0.517

2009 1,061 2.62 0.506

Nonfarm household

2000a 348 2.73 0.456

7.315**

2005a 242 2.59 0.517

2009a 286 2.61 0.53

Deciding donations

Farm household

2000a 1,049 2.21 0.951

56.783***

2005b 1,154 2.49 0.847

2009c 1,145 2.59 0.778

Nonfarm household

2000a 369 2.6 0.957

2.435

2005a 256 2.61 0.804

2009a 316 2.73 0.824

Associating with relatives

Farm household

2000a 1,032 1.73 0.601

25.867***

2005b 1,134 1.8 0.56

2009c 1,126 1.91 0.573

Nonfarm household

2000 367 1.9 0.63

3.174*

2005a 252 1.8 0.606

2009b 309 1.93 0.61

Domestic Work Variable Type of household Year N Mean SD F

Cooking and dishwashing

Farm household

2000a 1,029 2.94 0.272

0.987

2005a 1,141 2.92 0.309

2009a 1,138 2.93 0.28

Nonfarm household

2000a 370 2.92 0.283

1.561

2005a 257 2.88 0.365

2009a 311 2.88 0.358

Laundry work

Farm household

2000a 1,024 2.94 0.278

0.151

2005a 1,137 2.93 0.293

2009a 1,132 2.93 0.287

Nonfarm household

2000a 368 2.94 0.264

2.409

2005b 258 2.88 0.381

2009 311 2.91 0.338

Cleaning house

Farm household

2000a 1,017 2.84 0.404

6.857**

2005b 1,129 2.78 0.472

2009b 1,126 2.79 0.448

Nonfarm household

2000a 368 2.86 0.388

4.501*

2005a 257 2.76 0.47

2009a 304 2.77 0.487

Rural Couples’ Decision-making Scores for Domestic Work, Comparing 2000, 2005, and 2009

Summary

1. Following the process of modernization, a trend toward greater joint decision-making is occurring for rural couples.

2. Although increasingly made jointly, agricultural decisions are generally by husbands.

3. Farm couples are moving toward more joint agricultural and family life decisions.

4. Farm and nonfarm couples’ domestic work decisions continue to be made jointly.

1. Enhancing women’s power in joint decision can benefit the economic and social well-being of rural families.

2. Rural women’s participation in joint decision-making may empower them by improving their legal and economic status.

3. Educational programs for women and husbands may be necessary as family farming evolves. These programs could assist rural couples to share decision-making power in agriculture, family life, and domestic work.

4. Empowering rural women economically and politically will transform them from playing invisible, subordinate roles to leadership and active community members.

5. Rural women will be positioned to use their untapped abilities for local development to benefit their families and communities.

Implications

ReferencesAnthopoulou, T. 2010. “Rural women in local agrofood production: between entrepreneurial initiatives

and family strategies: a case study in Greece.” Journal of Rural Studies 26: 394-403.

Bokemeier, J. & L. Garkovich. 1987. “Assessing the influence of farm women’s self-identity on task allocation and decision making.” Rural Sociology 52(1): 13-36.

Choi, K. 2001. “Sex-role attitude, conjugal status level and status satisfaction of married women living in Korean rural area.” Journal of Korean Home Management Association 19(3): 53-72.

Damisa, M. & M. Yohanna. 2007. “Role of rural women in farm management decision making process: ordered Probit analysis.” World Journal of Agricultural Sciences 3(4): 543-546.

Deseran, F. & N. Simpkins. 1991. “Women’s off-farm work and gender stratification.” Journal of Rural Studies 7(1-2): 91-97.

Kamo, Y. 1988. “Determinants of household division of labor: resources, power, and ideology.” Journal of Family Issues 9(2): 177-200.

Kang, H. 2008. “Factors affect women farmers’ economic activities.” Journal of Rural Development 31(4): 69-81

Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAF). 2009. Statistics on Women Farmers. Seoul, Korea.