Divorce in Korea: Trends and Educational Differentials

Abstract

The authors extend comparative research on educational differences in divorce by analyzing data from Korea. A primary motivation was to assess whether the theoretically unexpected negative educational gradient in divorce in Japan is also observed in Korea. Using vital statistics records, for marriages and divorces registered between 1991 and 2006, the authors calculated cumulative probabilities of divorce, by marriage cohort (N = 5,734,577) and educational attainment. The results indicated that the relationship between education and divorce was negative even in the earliest cohort and that this negative gradient has become more pronounced in more recent cohorts. Contrary to expectations, however, little evidence was found that the concentration of divorce at lower levels of education was exacerbated by the Asian economic crisis in the late 1990s. The authors discuss these findings in light of conventional emphases on the costs of divorce and highlight the importance of better understanding this distinctive east Asia pattern of divorce.

Divorce and separation in the Philippines: Trends and correlates

“…It is expected that level of education will be positively associated with divorce in settings where marital dissolution is uncommon and its legal, social, and economic costs are high (Park and Raymo 2013). Goode (1993) argues that this positive association weakens when the prevalence of divorce increases and the practice becomes commonly accepted.…”

“…For example, in Japan and Korea, where the social and economic costs of divorce are still high, negative educational gradients have been observed (Raymo, Iwasawa, and Bumpass 2004;Ono 2009;Raymo, Fukuda, and Iwasawa 2012;Park and Raymo 2013). This unexpected relationship remains unexplained, but Park and Raymo (2013) speculate that factors like the rapid increase in educational attainment in Korea and educational differences in the pace and magnitude of changes in attitudes toward marriage (and divorce) or in gender division of labour within marriage might help elucidate this relationship. Similar results have been found in India, where education has been shown to promote marital stability (Dommaraju 2016).…”

One-person households in India

“…The cultural shift towards individualistic lifestyles has meant that people prefer independent living, and such preferences are much more accepted now than before (Keilman 1988;Vitali 2010). Increasing rates of divorce and separation have also lead to changes in family structure including increasing levels of solo living in some countries (Demey et al 2013;Park and Raymo 2013).…”

Long-term trends in living alone among Korean adults: Age, gender, and educational differences

“…In fact, in his study of one-person households 20 years ago, Park (1994) anticipated the limited growth of one-person households in Korea due to persistence of traditional family norms and decrease in rural-to-urban migration. However, as suggested by the rapid increase in divorce in Korea (Park and Raymo 2013), Korean families are experiencing significant changes. The increase in the share of one-person households could be another indication of a new family transition in Korean society.…”