Spousal Resources and the Paradox of Labor Market Incorporation among Marriage Migrant Women in South Korea

• In Event: International Migration Section Refereed Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (60 minute): 15. Immigrant labor market and earnings

Abstract

How do spousal resources shape immigrant women’s labor market incorporation? Existing research offers competing expectations. Household specialization theory posits that a husband’s greater resources reduce women’s labor force participation by reinforcing gendered divisions of labor. In contrast, social capital theory argues that a partner’s resources facilitate women’s employment by providing access to information, networks, and labor market opportunities. This study adjudicates between these perspectives by examining how educational pairing within couples—hypergamy, homogamy, and hypogamy—structures labor market outcomes among marriage migrant women in South Korea. Using nationally representative survey data, I analyze two stages of labor market incorporation: labor force participation and occupational attainment. The results indicate a divergence between the two theoretical perspectives across these stages. Women in hypergamous unions with college-educated husbands are significantly less likely to participate in the labor force, consistent with household specialization theory. However, among those who are employed, hypergamy with a college-educated husband, college homogamy, and hypogamy in which the wife holds a college degree are associated with higher occupational attainment. These findings suggest that spousal resources may discourage labor market entry while facilitating access to higher-status occupations once women are employed. Additional analyses indicate that migration-related factors condition these dynamics. Longer residence in Korea amplifies the occupational advantages associated with hypergamy, while Korean language proficiency shapes the extent to which couple-level resources translate into labor market outcomes. In sum, the findings demonstrate that competing theories operate at distinct stages of immigrant women’s labor market incorporation and underscore the importance of couple-level stratification in migration and family research.

Author

• Sohee Shin, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign