ScholarWorks@숙명여자대학교

초록

The purpose of this research was to examine why married immigrant women want to participate in the workforce and what barriers to employment they encounter. Analysis was based on 13 married immigrant women. Two main themes were identified: married immigrant women’s motivation for and barriers to employment. The theme of motivation for employment includes the wives’ support of their husbands who were the primary breadwinners, a desire to achieve economic independence, adaptation to Korean society, and relief from stress and loneliness. Regarding barriers to employment, the women experienced a lack of time and encountered economic difficulty in preparing for a job and lacked a long-term career plan and social support for employment. Considering their motivation for employment, they wanted to expand their role by participating in the workforce. They not only wanted to have an expressive role but also take on a breadwinner role to increase their value. This finding suggests that job training programs are needed to help married immigrant women formulate a long-term plan for their careers and to find sustainable jobs in which they could participate in. In addition to employment support programs, this study also provides implications for education programs for multicultural couples.

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