How Family Socioeconomic Status Shapes Relationship Formation and Transition Among Korean Sexual Minority Women

• In Event: Sociology of Sexualities Section Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (60 minute): Table 8: Sexuality and Gender II

Abstract

In South Korea, there have been varied sociocultural and legal signals (e.g., denial of same-sex marriage alongside a Supreme Court decision to grant health insurance dependent benefits to same-sex couples) that contribute to a high level of uncertainty for intimate relationships that lie outside of the heterosexual, nuclear family ideal. Beyond intimate relationships, sexual minority people also struggle to manage relationships with their families of origin, who play a critical role—culturally and financially—in family formation and class reproduction in the South Korean context. Importantly, sexual minority women likely face further challenges in sustaining their desired intimate relationships due to structural sexism in labor markets that hinder their economic self-reliance. In such a context, how do Korean sexual minority women manage family-of-origin ties—an importance source of socioeconomic resources—in relation to their sexual identities or same-sex intimate relationships? By answering this question, this study extends prior literature on how sexual minority individuals manage their extended family ties and broader communities that are not always accepting of their identities and same-sex relationships. I contribute to this literature by considering family-of-origin ties primarily as a vehicle of class reproduction. I examine how this aspect of family-of-origin ties shapes sexual minority women’s ability to pursue their desired intimate relationships or openly discuss their sexual identities and same-sex relationships to their families of origin.

Author

• Yunmyung Cho, Indiana University-Bloomington