To support financial independence and encourage self-support mind and self-reliance ability of low-income class, the self-support project introduced with the law on basic level living guaranty for the people focuses on productive welfare policy such a...
To support financial independence and encourage self-support mind and self-reliance ability of low-income class, the self-support project introduced with the law on basic level living guaranty for the people focuses on productive welfare policy such as expansion of opportunities to escape from poverty and save of welfare budget.
Most of the members who participate in self-support project are women and much attention is given to women participants in this project.
In Korea, women's participation in labor market is still insignificant because it is thought that women have to take care of household chores and upbringing of children. In this time when the number of women who participate in self-support program is increasing, the government is preparing various programs to provide opportunities of self-support for low-income class. And it is expanding infrastructures for self-support and preparing composite de-poverty policy for low-income class.
Therefore, this study aims at providing helps for self-support of women. For the purpose, it surveys which factors have significant influences on self-support mind in order to prepare incentives to promote self-support mind of participants.
This study targets members of women self-support project progressed in the self-support organization in Gwangju City and the factors include the followings: Demographic-sociological characteristics, labor ability characteristics, economy and labor environment, psychological characteristics, recognition and attitude of self-support project, labor activities and living attitude, self-recognition and independence. To analyse the factors, this study prepared questionnaire containing the questions about the factors and the results are presented as follows:
Most of the women self-support program participants were heads of low-income families whose ages range from forties and fifties. Their living attitude and self-recognition were better through participation in the project. They felt necessity of self-support project as they highly depended on financial support from the project. This study found that health was the most serious problem and low income and lack of ability to get job were serious. As educational background and health status are better, self-respect was higher and the relations between colleagues were good.
In addition, the project staff's mind was thought to have positive influences on active participation in the project, problem-shooting and self-support. As professional welfare staff took care of the project, they understood women participants well and encouraged them to have self-support mind based on reliability.
Finally, it was found that health and educational background were important as internal factors and the project staff' mind and relations between the staff were important as external factors.
Therefore, we need health promotion programs and further improved policy of medical service. Counselling and education to reinforce functions and skills should be provided to enrich professional skills and effectiveness of the project.
Also, expansion of professional staff and promoted density of social relation networks should be accompanied by emotional and social self-support which it is believed contributes to achievements of self-support through financial independence.