Marriage Immigration and Multicultural Families: Public Policies and Their Implications for the Philippines and South Korea

Abstract

This article surveys marriage immigration from the Philippines to South Korea, the public policies of both governments, and ongoing developments, challenges, and their implications for future policy. Policies in both countries provide the context in which international marriages occur and impact the sociocultural, political, economic life of marriage immigrants and their “multicultural families.” Philippine policies are still generally limited to a ban on commercial brokerage and provision of predeparture orientation programs for migrant brides. The Korean government has adopted policies to support these groups and to transform South Korea into a “more mature, multicultural society,” but the results have so far been mixed. Sociodemographic, economic, and political trends suggest that marriage immigration will persist with the following implications: continued emphasis on rights and welfare in future policies; more stringent regulation of marriage agencies; an increasingly important role for marriage immigrants in policymaking and implementation; and the necessity of policy adjustments and international cooperation among stakeholders.

Cross‐Border Marriages in South Korea and the Challenges of Rising Multiculturalism

“…Consistent with past literature (Kim et al., 2014), a larger social support network is associated with a greater likelihood of employment. Other things being equal, for every additional person who can help the married migrant woman, her odds of employment increases by 3.1 per cent.…”

“…As suggested in the past (Blume, Gustafsson, Pedersen, & Verner, ; Kim et al., 2014), assimilation factors ‐ language proficiency and years of residence in Korea ‐ were significantly associated with the odds of employment in the two waves of the NSMF. For instance, those living 1‐2 years in Korea are 2.4 and 2.0 times more likely to be employed in 2009 and 2012, respectively, than individuals living there for less than a year.…”

“…Both because the two waves had differing categories for language proficiency, and because migrant's speaking ability would have a stronger influence on the likelihood of getting a job than the other three abilities, language proficiency was defined as speaking ability, and was categorized with three levels: low, average, and high. Following prior research (H. Kim et al., 2014), social support network was measured as the availability of Korean(s), same national(s), and foreign national(s) who can help the marriage migrant in three different circumstances: when having personal problems or family issues, when spending time on a hobby or leisure, and when participating in a wedding ceremony or birthday party.…”

“…Accompanying these changes is large‐scale international marriage migration from developing countries in Asia, such as China, the Philippines, and Vietnam, which has brought about many heated societal debates. Though the proportion has slightly decreased since its peak in 2005, roughly 10per cent of all annual marriages – and a third of all marriages in rural areas – since the late 1990s have involved foreign nationals, most of whom are women from Southeast Asian countries (Jones & Shen, ; Kim, Yang, & Torneo, 2014).…”

Marriage migration in Southeast and East Asia revisited through a migration-development nexus lens

“…A successful example of collaboration is the Filipina Circle for Advancement and Progress Kim, Yang, andTorneo 2014. 26 Bryant 2005.…”