Abstract
This study focuses on the concept of labour market exclusion (LME) with multidimensional, relative, and dynamic features in order to embrace complex and multiple disadvantageous trajectories that Korean women experience in the labour market over their life course.By tracing individuals over two decades using the Korean Labour and Income Panel Study surveyed from 1998 to 2018, this study attempts to reveal different trajectories of LME on the domains of unstable employment, insecure pay, and a lack of employment benefits. The research entailed undertaking a sequence analysis to uncover different patterns of female labour market exclusion; an index construction to examine degrees of multiple forms of exclusion; and logistic regression analysis to explore factors associated with mothers' experience of exclusionary trajectories.
The findings show that Korean women face multiple trajectories of labour market exclusion, including: recurrent spells of unemployment and/or non-standard employment, low-pay and no-pay cycles, and employment trajectories with a lack of maternity/parental leave, public pension, or employment insurance. In addition, it was confirmed that two or more forms of these trajectories occurred at the same time, and a significant number of Korean women were exposed to overlapping exclusion. Women who experienced the life events of marriage or childbirth were more likely to experience not only each trajectory of exclusion but also higher levels of exclusion. Furthermore, Korean mothers experienced exclusionary trajectories, leaving the labour market without taking maternity/parental leave or returning to work after a career break following childbirth. These trajectories were associated with the job characteristics of non-standard employment or the availability of leave before childbirth, and the trajectories increased the risk of low pay after childbirth. Based on these findings, this thesis suggested that policies to improve insecure work conditions, as well as the work–life balance across the life course for Korean women, should be expanded. Specifically, it is necessary to increase accessibility to employment insurance and maternity/parental leave for female workers during the childbearing period; and shorter working hours and flexible working need to be established so that women can achieve a work¬–family balance during child-rearing periods.
| Date of Award | 23 May 2022 |
|---|---|
| Original language | English |
| Awarding Institution |
|
| Supervisor | Julia M Gumy (Supervisor) & Christina Pantazis (Supervisor) |