KWDI Korean Women’s Development Institute

Abstract

Suggestions for Reducing Multidimensional Poverty and Gender Gaps among Single-Parent Families

Park, Mijin

Kim, Eun-Ji

Jung, Sooyeon

Oh, Ukchan

 

 

1. Research Purpose and Necessity

The purpose of this study is to identify the actual conditions of multidimensional poverty and gender gaps among single-parent families, and to present suggestions for reducing the poverty and gender gaps. Poverty has multidimensional aspects depending on the gender of the head of the household, and their difficulties also have multifaceted aspects. Korea’s support systems for single-parent families, however, have the limitation of being more or less unilinear. Therefore, this study aims to establish empirical data to prepare alternative policies by shedding light on the poor situations of single-parent families.

 

2. Research Contents and Methods

The research contents of each section can be summed up as below.

Section Ⅱ outlines support systems for single-parent families, and reviews previous studies on the poverty of single-parent families and the multidimensional poverty.

Section Ⅲ examines the present state of poverty among single-parent households in comparison to dual-parent households, including male single-income and dual-income households. This section also analyzes the poverty on income, assets, housing, labor, and health, using the data from the Korea Welfare Panel Survey of 2011 to 2020, and the poverty on time using the data from the Korean Time Use Survey of 2019.

Section Ⅳ analyzes the current status of female-headed and male-headed households using the data from the Single-Parent Family Survey of 2021 by dividing the poverty into the dimensions of income, assets, housing, labor, time, and health.

Section Ⅴ compares the poverty levels of female-headed and male-headed households by setting multidimensional poverty thresholds, and explores determinants of multidimensional poverty.

Section Ⅵ presents the results of interviewing 25 heads of single-parent households to deeply understand the multidimensional poverty experience of single-parent families, and to specifically grasp their experience of using related policies.

Section Ⅶ suggests policy agendas based on the results of the study.

 

 

3. Suggestions for Improvement

Based on the results of the study, we presented policy suggestions for improvement in three parts as follows.

First, as implications by dimension, we suggested policy agendas by dividing poverty into income, assets, housing, labor, time, health, and multidimensional poverty.

Second, as implications by gender, we made suggestions for policy agendas by dividing the single-parent families into female-headed and male-headed households.

Third and last, as implications by life cycle, we proposed policy suggestions for children’s infant and preschool, primary school, secondary school, and undergraduate periods.

 

Summary of Policy Suggestions for Single-Parent Families

 

 

 

Category	Sub-category	Policy Suggestions
Dimension	Income	-Expand the eligibility requirements of the single-parent family support system and diversify the tiers of the support system. -Minimize the section where child benefits for single-parent families and their income reverse. -Sharply increase the level of ensuring their income. -Establish a new flat deduction system for the earned and business income from the national basic livelihood security programs. -Introduce substitute payment allowances for single-parent families. -Set a grace period of overcoming poverty.
	Assets	-Prepare alternative measures for delinquent single- parent families. -Prevent their assets from going underground due to conflict with the basic livelihood security system.

 

Category	Sub-category	Policy Suggestions
	Housing	-Prepare a deposit support system for single-parent families. -Raise the effectiveness of the housing system by easing the standard for child’s age in single-parent families.
	Labor	-Strengthen emergency childcare support for the stable work of heads of single-parent households. -Improve the social awareness of working heads of single-parent households. -Form an environment where the heads of single- parent households can balance their work and life. -Offer higher incentives for retaining employment of single-parent household heads and shorten their working hours.
	Time	-Resolve the problem of working long hours and promote the active use of the leave system during the early childrearing period. -Build a new support system for the leisure and relaxation of single-parent household heads.
	Health	-Introduce a regular management system for the physical and mental health of single-parent household heads.
	Multi- dimension	-Establish a new one-stop service for supporting single-parent families and abolish segmented administration. -Conduct a simulation review to provide integrated services for single-parent families.
Gender of the head of households	Female-headed households	-Facilitate policies to support income and employment for female-headed households.
	Male-headed households	-Improve childcare support for male-headed households and enhance their paternal rights.
Life cycle	Infant and preschool	-Create a high-quality environment for childcare to minimize the gaps in care.
	Primary school	-Promote quantitative and qualitative improvements for elementary childcare class and after-school class.
	Secondary school	-Increase the unit price of school supply support for single-parent families and normalize their public education.

 

Category	Sub-category	Policy Suggestions
	Undergraduate	-Support independence of undergraduate children in single-parent households and provide stronger basic support for them.

 

Research areas: low fertility and aging, family and care

Keywords: Single-Parent Families, Poverty, Multi-dimension