The purpose of this study is to develop an empowerment model to overcome social exclusion for the Korean long-term unemployed workers.
Basing the principle that social exclusion originates from the violation of social rights, this study focused on ho...
The purpose of this study is to develop an empowerment model to overcome social exclusion for the Korean long-term unemployed workers.
Basing the principle that social exclusion originates from the violation of social rights, this study focused on how long-term unemployed workers have been excluded from the political·economical·social·psychological fields. In here, society, that is in a type of social exclusion, was understood as a network and social service based on personal mutual relations of long-term unemployed workers. And based on the analyzed data, this study showed the method of intervention by introducing the empowerment dimension corresponding with each part.
To begin with, this study examined the concept and characteristics of social exclusion and empowerment in order to see what social factors violate the social rights of an individual. And empowerment is the process of obtaining internal and external resources so that clients in a powerless state, due to the violation of their rights, can restore self-efficacy and act to attain their rights. Therefore, the socially excluded clients must realize that they are the subjects of social rights through the process of empowerment, and they must be able to obtain the capacity and resources to act.
Through the study of the trends of overcoming social exclusion in the European Union, it was noted tat the measure of the European Union against the social exclusion was based on restoring their social rights. The member nations of the European Union agreed that social exclusion was the biggest barrier in constructing Social Europe, and presented the measures of the European Union as a whole or individual to counter against long-term unemployment. Through this examination, it could be shown that not only national organizations' awareness on rights to deal with long-term unemployment, but also the meaning of empowerment application through actions that unemployed workers have taken to secure their rights.
The present condition of social exclusion regarding the Korean long-term unemployed workers was based on the standard frame centered on social rights, classified into the parts of psychological·social·economical·political exclusions, and then analyzed. The results of the analysis were as shown below.
First, in the part of the psychological exclusion of the long-term unemployed workers, the cause of long-term unemployment and the social measures on long-term unemployment were shown to increase powerlessness and dependancy.
Second, in the part of social exclusion of the long-term unemployed workers, the seriousness of the deprivation and the stigmatic problems were found. Despite the fact the social net is worsening due to long-term dimension, so the problems that the long-term unemployed workers experience, such as poverty and disease, become worse.
Third, in the part of economical exclusion of the long-term unemployed workers, it was shown that the problem of poverty has deepened due to estrangement because of their limitation from their participation in the labor market. Despite of the fact, the measures of the economic problems have purported to economic efficiency rather than social integration based on rights so that the long-term unemployed workers have become articulated and isolated.
And last, in the part of political exclusion of the long-term unemployed workers, due to the social structure in which active intention expressing is limited and there are few groups that reflect their opinions, long-term unemployed workers become estranged and isolated.
In these four types of exclusion which long-term unemployed workers experience, four dimensions were proposed in way of intervention for empowerment models to overcome social exclusion for each type.
First, for the psychological exclusion, the main method in the dimension of psychological empowerment to restore autonomy as social being was based on counseling.
Second, for social exclusion due to deprivation and stigmatization, it is able to obtain solidarity through group empowerment in the process of mutual support.
Third, for the isolation and poverty problem due to economical exclusion, the method is advocacy based on structural empowerment.
Last, for political exclusion, in which long-term unemployed workers experience estrangement and isolation, they can restore their rights to participate in the decision-making process through political empowerment centered on social action.
The four dimensions of empowerment to overcome social exclusion were composed basing on the cultural frame of our social to achieve social rights through a continual circular process of each dimension. And two meaningful points can be found in the application of empowerment on the social exclusion of Korean long-term unemployed workers. First, the need for an overall approach for long-term unemployment can be shown by giving a point of view that shows that long-term unemployment, understood in the view of social exclusion, has multilateral causes that include psychological·social·economical·political fields. Second, the emphasis on empowerment towards long-term unemployment can help overcome the reality in which welfare is understood in the residual concept by emphasizing participation and solidarity based on the rights of the long-term unemployment problem.