No abstract

Korean society has undergone a rapid demographic transition that has challenged traditional patterns of family exchanges. The structure and directions of support flows have become more complex as multiple generations coexist. This article examines the complexity of contemporary Korean intergenerational relationships. The study analyzed two different samples to address anticipated differences in perceptions of and attitudes toward relationships between adult children and elderly parents. The researchers used maximum likelihood latent structure analysis to discover the latent patterns of the association among three main subdimensions of intergenerational relationships: geographic proximity, exchange of support, and cultural norms of family support. Results show that the perspectives on intergenerational relationships differ significantly between middle-aged children and elderly parents. Intergenerational relationships among middle-aged adults comprise five distinct patterns: strong reciprocal, strong traditional, intermediate normative, intermediate circumstantial, and weak. The interpretation of intergenerational relationships from the elders' perspectives is more straightforward, with only three patterns: traditional, reciprocal, and weak. Along with significant socioeconomic differences in the prevalent patterns of intergenerational relationships, these results emphasize the complex interplay of contingency and path dependency in diversifying the value and support exchanges of intergenerational relationships.

This study compares rates of breast feeding reported in the National Surveys of Family Growth with those from the Ross Laboratories Mothers Surveys. Both surveys have documented rates of breast feeding over the last 30 or more years. Despite differences in survey methodology, both surveys document similar long-term trends in breast feeding. The similarities of rates in breast feeding also are evident across several maternal sociodemographic characteristics. We conclude that both surveys produce reliable and useful estimates of breast feeding.

This article is a step toward understanding the nature of the interrelationship between population movement and development as Vietnam continues to move toward intensive market reforms. Underutilized tabulations from the 1989 census and national statistical data on characteristics of provinces were explored to gain insights into the roles of development in interprovincial migration within a context of institutional intervention. The overall results of OLS regression indicate that more developed provinces attracted higher volumes of inmigrants, whereas less developed provinces produced more outmigrants, other things being equal. Most of the migrants, especially females, moved to more urbanized and industrialized areas, regardless of their origin home provinces. The government's organized population movements towards remote resettlement areas were costly from the view of the migrants. The study results suggest the importance of interpreting population movement in Vietnam within the broader context of its current transition to a market economy. Government key-policy deliberations must include careful attention to how migration relates to long-term national development.