KWDI Korean Women’s Development Institute

The lives of immigrants and their family members are closely connected with a broad range of network that comprehends a destination society and a home society. Multicultural families comprising largely immigrants through marriage or naturalization form network going beyond the national borders. Such network becomes part of their family relations, and this situation is likely to further expand from now on. However, Korean society has not yet earnestly attempted to specify social agenda related to transnational family network and seek policy approach to this issue

In this background, this research aimed to examine the current status of transnational family network focusing on the relationship between multicultural families and original families of marriage immigrants. The research also aimed to identify the character of multicultural families as transnational families. For these purposes, we conducted questionnaire surveys of marriage immigrant women, re-analyzed the raw data from the 2012 National Multicultural Family Survey, and carried out interviews. This study is also designed to develop agenda and issues that can be presented at domestic policy levels through specific experiences of multicultural family members related to transnational family network, thereby laying a foundation for establishing basic directions for policies.

According to the result of the research, a considerable number of multicultural families took on the character of "transnational family" in which family members lead their lives in an environment where family members move about and exchange economic resources and emotions across the border. In particular, the child-rearing burden of multicultural families acted as a key factor for transnational family network. It was frequently found that to reduce the child-rearing burden of marriage immigrant women, their original family members moved to Korea to help their child care, or their children were sent to their mother's home countries to be looked after for a given period.

In the meantime, it seems to be difficult to maintain the presupposition that as marriage immigrant women reside in Korea longer and deliver and raise children in Korea, they would gradually have loose relationship with home families and live within the frame of family relations formed in Korea. While they live in Korea, they may have difficulty maintaining their network with original families and their relationships with home families may become more or less distant. However, with the recent enlivenment of transnational family network, new light is shed on transnational family network as a main resource in realizing major family interest such as retirement life or children's educational opportunities. One of the interesting points in this study is that the change in the family cycle of home family also is likely to act as a variable to shift directions of transnational family network. As the parent generation of marriage immigrant women approaches retirement period, care of parents in old age has emerged as an issue. In case of ethic Chinese-Koreans, this issue, coupled with China's "one-child policy," turned out to be urgent.

From economical aspect, some approach transnational family network as a means to mobilize in order to realize better life based on economic and social security. On the other hand, there are other cases which set "outside Korean society" as an alternative to escape from social and economic insecurity, including economic difficulties and maladaptation, and discrimination against immigrants. Specifically, we found cases where marriage immigrant women or their husbands start business or invest in marriage immigrant women's home countries through transnational family network.

In the questionnaire survey of Korean husbands and interview with them, we asked mostly about attitude toward and conflict over transnational family network. A number of couples still took different stances about such issues as economic support for families in home countries or child-rearing. However, in some cases, Korean husbands took great interest in their wives' home families and showed positive attitude toward communicating with their wives regarding their wives’ families.

Based on these findings, we need to take transnational perspective that includes relationship with home families so as to identify the realities of multicultural families and to forecast their future. We should particularly note in related policies that various types of contradictions are presented over family network transcending the border in the nation-centered system and that main actors, including marriage immigrant women, their children, and their parents in home countries who lead a transnational life, are faced with confusions and contradictions.

Therefore, this research made the following policy suggestions: ① Improve multicultural family support services, considering the possibilities of living together with marriage immigrant women's original families and of playing the role in raising children ② Seek support for resolving confusions and side effects of transnational child care ③ Support transnational economic activity of multicultural families ④ Seek alternatives considering the concerned party's demand for family invitation and the criteria of the international community ⑤ Prepare realistic alternatives for employment of the invited families.