Marital Dissolution and Gendered Socioeconomic Trajectories in Korea: Household Income, Housing Tenure, and Working Status

Gum-Ryeong Park () and Gemiel Alcala
Additional contact information
Gum-Ryeong Park: Korea University
Gemiel Alcala: McMaster University

Population Research and Policy Review, 2025, vol. 44, issue 5, No 7, 17 pages

Abstract: Abstract Marital dissolution represents a significant turning point in an individual’s life course, impacting both psychological well-being and socioeconomic status. Post-marital dissolution, individuals typically experience a reduction in household income and must navigate changes in housing tenure, often resulting in a downward social mobility. This study aims to estimate the gendered socioeconomic trajectories following marital dissolution in Korea, with a particular focus on housing tenure, household income, and employment status. Using data from Waves 1 to 18 of the Korea Welfare Panel Study (KoWePS), we conducted longitudinal analyses to examine how socioeconomic conditions change over time, both prior to and following marital dissolution. The results revealed that women face sharper declines in income and are more likely than men to transition into rental housing and enter the workforce following marital dissolution. These findings highlight the influence of cultural norms and labor market conditions on the post-marital socioeconomic outcomes of men and women. The study contributes to a nuanced understanding of the intersection between gender and socioeconomic status in the context of marital dissolution, with implications for policy interventions aimed at reducing gender disparities.

Keywords: Marital dissolution; Housing; Household income; Employment; Gender disparities; Korea (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s11113-025-09975-x Abstract (text/html)
Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:kap:poprpr:v:44:y:2025:i:5:d:10.1007_s11113-025-09975-x

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
http://www.springer. ... es/journal/11113/PS2

DOI: 10.1007/s11113-025-09975-x

Access Statistics for this article

Population Research and Policy Review is currently edited by D.A. Swanson

More articles in Population Research and Policy Review from Springer, Southern Demographic Association (SDA)
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().