By and large, biracial families in Korea likely face more challenges than Korean nuclear families or families where both married partners are actually korean. This is made evident in the raising of their children, when more often than not the kids p...
By and large, biracial families in Korea likely face more challenges than Korean nuclear families or families where both married partners are actually korean. This is made evident in the raising of their children, when more often than not the kids present a psychological frame that betrays traumas and troubles that can easily be traced to the lack of cultural consistency of their parents, as well as the clash of cultural and family values. This research is about three biracial families currently living in Gyeongsangbuk-do, with an average age ranging from 40's to 50's in the case of the Korean husbands, with wife's ages ranging in their 30's. The study itself has been designed along the lines of Dr. Giorgi and focuses on some interviews conducted in mid 2011 for three biracial families, and it has detected problems on three different sensitive areas of the marital relationship, such as communication between the spouses or the way they handle the administration of their household and related economy. Going to more specifics, I have detected three weak points in which despite a great deal of effort and struggling on the part of the biracial families, solutions have been in short supply:
• Communication between the mates and between parents and their children.
• A cultural gap that frequently brings with it cultural-born psychological trouble for the kids.
• Economical challenges, made more readily as the wife seems unable to proficiently master the Korean language.
Conclusions from the Study. From this study and series of interviews, we can conclude that,
First of all, although the three families have been facing undaunted challenges in the three areas aforementioned, they are slowly being acculturated an assimilated into the Korean mainstream. In this regard, the role of the Korean husband has been decisive in overcoming discouraging situations.
Second of all, the couples have a positive outlook and feel supported by each other's efforts. The daily struggle they have met in raising their children has generally been positive to the marital relationship, since it has fostered a climate of respect between the mates as well as a more emphatic response toward other family members. In addition, one may say that there is a more positive inclination to add reflection and thought to daily communication. Third of all, when it comes to managing the economy of the family, the biracial partners feel that there are obstacles to gaining access to a better education, both for the parents and for their offspring. This I've found specially true, from the perspective of a very demanding Korean social environment, where education is a must for those who seek success and a mean to go places. As if this were not enough, this study has found that biracial families in Korea face additional economical responsibilities due to the hard facts of having to deal with aging parents plus extended families, this usually on the side of the non-korean wife, opposite to a modern Korean social frame where families are on the most part not extended but traditional nuclear, or even sometimes families consisting of one person that chooses to live alone. In spite of all the odds an obstacles, this study found that biracial families are fairly optimistic and have in general a positive outlook on their future. The couples are currently working hard to be able to meet all their responsibilities as well as to find real solutions to their not so few problems. Since Korea is at fast pace moving toward a more pluralistic and modern society, likely the next generation of biracial families in Korea will present features more in line with the sociological twine of korean mono-cultural families. Some possible outcomes are,
• That engaging couples will take better care of their personal education and achievements.
• That the non-korean spouse will put more effort in mastering the Korean language, which will add a great deal of understanding to the overall communication of the family.
• On these lines , the biracial families will be better equipped to take fair advantage of the Korean social welfare programs that the Korean government provides for all families that reside on this land.
To conclude this brief, it bears say that as the participants in this study are only three biracial families having in common a husband who is korean, the length and scope of the work is very limited. Nonetheless, it serves the purpose as an indicator for further studies on this relatively new social phenomena in a society such as Korea, that shows as today a very homogeneous racial framework.