Abstract
This study aimed to examine sports programs at multicultural family support centers located throughout the country and present the possibility of social integration through the sports programs. The multicultural sports program showed that it affected the ability of migrant women in international marriages to socially integrate with other women like themselves, their husbands, and the natives, and also affected themselves. In order to clarify the purpose of the research, in-depth interviews were carried out. The collected material was transcribed, encoded, and classified. The results were analyzed from the perspective of sports’ physical, psychological, and social functions. This social integration was shown to be more effective than any other program at the multicultural family support center. Regarding their relationship with their husbands, the program provided opportunities for deepening their mutual understanding. The sports program was also utilized as a place of leisure for the women as well, and it was discovered that sports activities were being used as a means of resolving stress. The migrant women’s life radius and interpersonal relations were small due to their limited linguistic abilities. They provided opportunities to form confidence in their Korean life.
Highlights
The migrants in international marriages who met at the multicultural family support centers were sympathetic and relied on each other as peers who were in the same situation
This study began from the question of what impact the social integration function of sports has on the social integration of migrant women in international marriages in the current circumstances of Korea, as the country is becoming more multicultural with a sharp increase in the number of foreign migrants
The programs of multicultural family support centers nationwide were analyzed to find which programs were being administered in order to promote social integration
Summary
Academic Editor: Gregor WolbringReceived: 6 August 2021Accepted: 17 September 2021Published: 23 September 2021Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/ 4.0/).According to Statistics Korea, only 270,000 foreigners were living in Korea in 1995, but that number increased to 740,000 in 2005, to more than 800,000 by April 2006, and reached one million in August 2009 [1]. In 2020, the number of foreign residents was 2,216,612, exceeding 4.2% of the total population. The figures are a clear indication that Korea is becoming a multicultural society.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
