Divorce Among Koreans in the United States - Case Study Example

Running head: Divorce Among Koreans DIVORCE AMONG KOREANS IN THE UNITED S of the _________________________________ IDNo.: _____ Program: _________________________________________ (course or educational curriculum) Specialization: ____________________________________________ Faculty Mentor/Professor: Name of school ___________________________________________ Abstract Second generation Koreans have higher divorce rates than first generation Koreans. This proposition is the gist of this paper. Data and information gathered for the purpose of determining the truthfulness and validity of this belief will or will not prove the theory. The results of the accompanying research will show. Divorce Among Koreans in the United States Introduction Family is the most basic social institution. No less than then Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York once commented that laws have become so permissive about courts granting divorce decrees. She gave this opinion after observing that for the sake of the children, divorce should be made harder to obtain precisely because of its negative effects on the youth. This may be true not only among Americans in the United States of America in recent developments but generally among all the peoples of the world. For instance, it is said that it is easier to divorce than to flag down a taxi in Korea. (Hayes, Sean. Reform of the Korean Divorce Law. OhmyNews INTERNATIONAL. [internet]) Korean divorce rate is one of the highest in the globe and possibly the highest in Asia. There are many possible reasons why the newest generation of Koreans has a high rate in divorce. It may be because of the new liberal and more dynamic and independent role of women in the new societal set-up or because of the rising trend for individualistic attitudes rather than for family advancement and value formation. It may also be due to society having modernized so quickly or due to personal demands for selfish gratification at the click of a finger. While a divorce or a separation helps any one of the spouses or the two of them in so many instances, this can only be fine and in order if there are no children affected as when the couple did not bear any. In another way of saying, children who are the products of a broken marriage almost always become menace to society as they resort to drugs, alcohol, unwanted pregnancies in the case of daughters, and other undesirable practices or behavior as acts of rebellion against the parents who have shattered what could have been a whole and happy family. In this treatise, the covered population pertains to first and second generations of Koreans in the United States of America. The opinions and findings of other researchers – a literature review In one study, statistics and findings showed that only a total of 6.1 % of Koreans in the United States are either separated or divorced, lower than that for other nationals. (Yu, Eui-Young, Peter Choe and Sang Il Han. Korean Population in the United States, 2000. Demographic Characteristics and Socio-Economic Status. page 9. [internet]). Curiously again, of one hundred thirty three Korean women interviewed in a 2003 study who live in the United States, only seven were divorced or separated. (Lee, Eunju. DOMESTIC CONFLICT AND COPING STRATEGIES AMONG KOREAN IMMIGRANT WOMEN IN THE UNITED STATES. [internet]) The above observations simply indicate that divorce among Koreans in the United States has not reached any level of concern. As a matter of course, there is really not much justification to undertake a research on incidents of divorce among Koreans who reside in or have migrated to the United States. Instead, there is great consolation in discovering that Korean families in their foreign host country have endeavored as much as possible to see to it that the home environment is kept intact. This is confirmed by the fact that the bond of marriage has even strengthened among Korean Americans. As a matter of fact Korean Americans have changed their orientation because of separation due to literal distance and a divide in culture, that is, they are far away from their parents who have remained in their country of origin although it cannot be denied that they still greatly honor their mothers and fathers. This is being mentioned to emphasize the fact that Koreans in America no longer go so much for marriages which used to be arranged traditionally by parents. The new notion most probably indicates that Korean Americans now prefer marital union developed out of their own personal choices and of the dictates of their hearts or romantic inclinations. Korean-blooded women who are in American colleges or universities convey that they prefer partners from other ethnic groups. Koreans always abhor divorce or separation even in cases of arranged marriages which seldom end up in divorce despite the lack of voluntary bonding. In Korean American communities, the marriage bond has in some ways become stronger than filial piety. While honoring ones parents remains important, physical distance and cultural barriers between Korean Americans and their parents have shifted priorities. Korean Americans are less likely to have arranged marriages than their ancestors, because marrying outside of the Korean community has also become increasingly common. Recent surveys show that Korean American women in college are expressing a preference for mates from other ethnic groups. Incidentally, recent information and data indicate divorce rate among Koreans in America has significantly increased. This means that the attitude against divorce or separation among Korean Americans has become more rampant in the newer generation. (Nash, Amy. Overview. KOREAN AMERICANS. Countries and Their Cultures. [internet]) It must again be noted that although there is this trend in the rise of divorce or separation among Koreans residing in the United States, the same does not yet indicate a level of worry. The increase may even be rated as negligible or manageable. Documenting and validating the findings in this paper In order to document and validate the independent findings of this paper, the method used was via the distribution of a questions sheet by hard copy and e-mail. On a random basis, forty persons were contacted and conferred with utilizing the said contact medium. There was no programmed set of questions prepared uniformly for the process. However, the following were made parts of the information gathering initiative, thus - Religion or faith orientation Age Age of spouse/partner Ethnic origin Occupation Sex or gender Hobbies Marital status Number of children Number of years in marriage The question – Are your happy with your marriage? The question – If your marriage is in trouble, what do you believe is the root cause? The question – If you do your best to keep the marriage intact despite the conjugal misunderstandings, what are the reasons that you do that? The question - If your are living in the United States, how long have you been so residing? The question – What is your attitude toward divorce? Does it help or do you think it will help you or your partner or both of you? The question – What is the primordial incentive that you seek divorce if indeed you are seeking one. Of the forty people whom the methodology attempted to contact, only nineteen were Koreans. Of the nineteen, nine reside in the United States. Only the answers of the nine Koreans living in the United States were considered in arriving at some conclusions in this paper. Three were over thirty years of age while six were under that age. Five were males and four were females. Seven are self-employed and two are working in private companies or offices. They all frown upon divorce but believe that if it is, or will be extremely, difficult to keep the marriage intact, separating will be a better option to make both partners happy and free. Of the nine, only one is actually separated from her husband although they were not able to secure an official paper supposedly for a legal divorce. The respondent, a young lady entrepreneur aged twenty eight years, mentioned the high cost of initiating a legitimate divorce that keeps her and her husband away from going into a truly legal and procedural divorce. One respondent conveyed that she wanted a divorce but is worried that it might adversely affect their two children. Her age is twenty two which means that she belongs to the second generation age level. The nine respondents included five Buddhists, two Korean shamanists, one Catholic and one non-Catholic Christian. The correlation of the findings in this research as to those opinions or findings review mentioned above is apparent. Generally, Koreans do not favor divorce although there is an apparent rise among Koreans to opt for separation if there is a practical reason or ground for it. It is admitted that the methodology used could not be completely relied upon because respondents sometimes distort facts and do not take things very seriously, particularly when the circumstances would possibly embarrass them. In another well-researched treatise, it was found out that Korean family values have distinct discrepancies among generations including those matters as are related to marriage and cohabitation. Necessarily, the divorce option is one of those. It was also the observation in the said study that the new trends or notions in values which emerge in more recent age categories do happen not only in Korea or among Koreans. The novel changes are affecting people worldwide regardless of race, ethnicity, religious orientation or nationality. (Eun, Ki-Soo. Family Values in Korea: A Comparative Analysis. [internet]). In sum, the new dynamics in values and attitudes among age levels or the so-called culture wars are all over the world. Nevertheless, it is still a known fact that Asian divorce cases among themselves are very much fewer than those among white couples. (Tim. Mixed Couples Divorce In Droves. February 6, 2009. asians. [internet]). Evidently, family values are generally founded on the traditions and environment that surround the individuals. Hence, people in the United States who have true American blood have different views on domestic matters compared to Asians who live there except, as a matter of course, for those who were born in American soil and grew in an entirely Western setting or way of living. Otherwise stated, people from the East are more conservative than those from the West who have embraced a more liberated lifestyle. The outlook of the Koreans toward marriage and divorce reflects their culture and tradition which are still part of their old and ancient notions and practices so many generations ago. The primitive tribes and native people were the first inhabitants of Korea who were mostly of the Mongolian ancestry. As years passed, several of these indigenous Korean ascendants grouped into one single civilization or ethnicity. It was during this period that the family became a very important part of culture. The family had to be always consulted on serious matters and the oldest at home was considered the wisest who made the decisions for the family. The attitude of the Koreans toward family, marriage and ancestry was that they were always proud of their ancestry and they always remember their dead. Even today, the sound moral values of the Koreans have stayed or remained. If a father or a mother dies, the oldest among the sons is usually the most in mourning. These interesting characteristics of the Koreans only exhibit their conservative perception of life. (Korean Culture. [internet]) In concluding, there appears no urgency in determining the repercussions of divorce or separation among Koreans living in the United States. As a matter of fact, the figures are so negligible that any findings resulting there-from cannot yet ripen into a good material for statistical research. Nevertheless, since broken families are a bane to United States society, it is in order to keep watch of divorce and separation cases in American soil. It is common and public knowledge that divorce and separation, especially those that affect children, bear significant costs not only to the parents who split and to their kids but more significantly to the state. (Study: Divorce, Out-of-Wedlock Childbearing Cost U.S. Taxpayers More Than $112 Billion a Year. FOXNEWS.com Fair & Balanced. [internet]) References Eun, Ki-Soo. Family Values in Korea: A Comparative Analysis. [internet] Accessed November 21, 2009. Available at: < http://www.worldfamilypolicy.org/forum/2007/Eun.pdfKi-Soo Eun>). Hayes, Sean. Reform of the Korean Divorce Law. OhmyNews INTERNATIONAL. [internet] Accessed November 15, 2009. Available at: Korean Culture. [internet] Accessed November 26, 2009. Availabled at: Lee, Eunju. DOMESTIC CONFLICT AND COPING STRATEGIES AMONG KOREAN IMMIGRANT WOMEN IN THE UNITED STATES. [internet] Accessed November 16, 2009. Available at: http://www.lib.utexas.edu/etd/d/2003/leee032/leee032.pdf) Nash, Amy. Overview. KOREAN AMERICANS. Countries and Their Cultures. [internet]. Accessed November 16, 2009. Available at: Study: Divorce, Out-of-Wedlock Childbearing Cost U.S. Taxpayers More Than $112 Billion a Year. FOXNEWS.com Fair & Balanced. [internet] Accessed November 16, 2009. Available at: < http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,351300,00.html>) Tim. Mixed Couples Divorce In Droves. February 6, 2009. asians. [internet] Accessed November 21, 2009. Available at: Yu, Eui-Young, Peter Choe and Sang Il Han. Korean Population in the United States, 2000. Demographic Characteristics and Socio-Economic Status. page 9. [internet] Accessed November 16, 2009. Available at: Read More