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Family Caregiving by Elderly Korean Women and Their Quality of Life

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Gender, Care and Migration in East Asia

Part of the book series: Series in Asian Labor and Welfare Policies ((Series in Asian Labor and Welfare Policies))

Abstract

This study aims to investigate the burden of family caregiving on elderly women, difficulties caused by caring for family, and the meaning of the elderly female about caring family in South Korea. Elderly women face numerous psychological and physical challenges due to caregiving extending into old age. To prevent their life satisfaction from deteriorating due to caregiving, both emotional and instrumental problem-solving are required. In particular, further research must be conducted to improve the level of life satisfaction among elderly women who are providing care for their spouses under poor conditions. According to this study, responsibility for care is weighted toward the elderly female. Thus, the Korean government should introduce care management policies, institutions, and practices in order to cope with the growing needs of care.

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Acknowledgment

The framework for analysis and arguments presented in this chapter take reference from my previous article “Family Caregiving and Life Satisfaction of Korean Elderly Women” published in The Journal of Population Association of Korea (2016, 39(2): 49–70); these have been revised and updated with the latest policy initiatives and statistics. I thank the Journal for permission to use these materials.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Sociology, Chungnam National University, Daejeon, South Korea

    Ju Hyun Kim

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  1. Ju Hyun Kim
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Chiba University, Chiba, Japan

    Reiko Ogawa

  2. City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong

    Raymond K.H. Chan

  3. Chiba University, Chiba, Japan

    Akiko S. Oishi

  4. National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan

    Lih-Rong Wang

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Kim, J.H. (2018). Family Caregiving by Elderly Korean Women and Their Quality of Life. In: Ogawa, R., Chan, R., Oishi, A., Wang, LR. (eds) Gender, Care and Migration in East Asia. Series in Asian Labor and Welfare Policies. Palgrave Macmillan, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-7025-9_3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-7025-9_3

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  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Singapore

  • Print ISBN: 978-981-10-7024-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-981-10-7025-9

  • eBook Packages: Social SciencesSocial Sciences (R0)

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