What Helps Married Immigrant Women Engage in the Community? a Comparative Study of Social Participation in South Korea

Background/Purpose: Social participation is a key driver of social integration among immigrants. Particularly for women who have immigrated through marriage, engaging in community life—beyond their roles in childrearing and family life—is crucial for successful settlement. Previous studies have examined multiple factors in relation to social participation among married immigrant women, but much of the existing literature provides limited attention to the heterogeneity of participation patterns across different types of group activities. Addressing this gap, the present study aims to identify the key factors that influence participation in different types of group activities among married immigrant women in South Korea. By adopting a typology-specific approach, this study seeks to generate nuanced insights that can inform differentiated institutional and policy responses to promote inclusive social integration.

Method: This study used data from the 2021 National Multicultural Family Survey conducted by the Korean Ministry of Gender Equality and Family. The analytic sample included immigrant women married to Korean men who arrived in South Korea between 1942 and 2021. Two samples were analyzed: (1) a full sample of 9,756 women for five types of social participation (co-national friendship groups, neighborhood-based gatherings, religious activities, civil organizations, and political activities), and (2) a sub-sample of 7,608 mothers for parent group participation. Logistic regression was performed for each group using age, education, Korean proficiency, self-perceived social status, physical health, discrimination experience, having someone to rely on, employment, number of children, household disability, service use, and years of residence in Korea as predictors.

Results: Korean proficiency increased the odds of participation in co-national (OR=1.08, p<.001) and religious groups (OR=1.07, p<.05) but decreased the odds in neighborhood (OR=0.86, p<.001) and parent groups (OR=0.73, p<.001). Having someone to rely on lowered the odds of participation in co-national (OR=0.65, p<.001), neighborhood (OR=0.90, p<.001), religious (OR=0.86, p<.001), and civic groups (OR=0.83, p<.001). Social status and service use increased the odds of participation across most group types while discrimination was positively associated with participation in religious (OR=1.17, p<.05), civic (OR=1.60, p<.001), and political groups (OR=1.67, p<.05). In addition to individual and social factors, family characteristics also influenced participation. Individuals with children were more likely to join neighborhood (OR=1.18, p < .001), religious (OR=1.36, p < .001) and civic groups (OR=1.23, p < .001). More children predicted higher participation in parent groups (OR=1.50, p < .001). Having a household member with a disability predicted participation in neighborhood gatherings (OR=1.32, p < .05).

Conclusion and Implications: This study revealed various factors that can influence immigrant women’s social participation after resettling through marriage. Given that Korean proficiency predicted participation in civic and political groups, this study underscores the important role of language in enabling immigrant women to engage beyond family and neighborhood issues and participate in broader societal matters. The findings also call for further examination of the relationship between social discrimination and social participation, including how participation may help women confront discriminatory experiences. Future research is needed to continue to examine how building local connections facilitates integration, particularly in navigating marginalization.