| The purpose of this research is to examine the father's involvement with children in terms of daily care, and of decision-making about children's education, in both China and Korea. This study combines both quantitative and qualitative methods to measure the father's engagement with children in each country. It utilizes data from two second-hand survey: Women's Status in Contemporary China (1991) and The National survey on Changes in Functions and Roles of Korean Families (1989). Based on these survey data, separate analyses by country were conducted. In each country, regional comparisons were also studied. In order to improve the understanding of different patterns of paternal involvement and the factors associated with them in each of the countries, focus group interviews were also conducted both in China and in Korea in 2002.; The major findings are as follows: (1) Chinese fathers are more involved with children in daily care than Korean fathers. However, in China, regional variations are noted, in that fathers in urban areas are more involved with children than those in rural areas; (2) fathers in both countries are more involved with decision-making than daily care; (3) As for the applicability of theoretical perspectives, such as gender ideology, time availability and time demand, relative resources, and son preference, they are more applicable to China than to Korea; (4) the noticeable difference is that the time availability (mother's employment status) is only applicable to China to increase paternal share in childcare.; Four possible reasons that can explain Chinese fathers' higher involvement with children: (1) women's higher employment rates in China than those in Korea; (2) shorter work hours in China than those in Korea; (3) less traditional values toward gender roles in China than those in Korea; (4) China's one-child policy. These four possible reasons are drawn from different social policies in each country.; This study suggests that in order to reduce women's burden and to increase paternal involvement with children, the state needs to develop, implement, and encourage the use of family-friendly policies. |
