Marital Satisfaction Among Adults With Disabilities in South Korea

Abstract

In the family-oriented, collectivistic Korean culture, people with disabilities experience extreme challenges in finding an appropriate marital partner, due to discrimination at sociocultural levels. Such discrimination is not unique to South Korea. Because marital status and quality of life is significant for individuals with disabilities, this study examined factors associated with marital satisfaction among individuals with disabilities in South Korea using an existing data set. The sample included married individuals with disabilities, using data drawn from the 2008 Korean Disability Survey ( N = 1,028; 507 women and 521 men). In this South Korean sample, major challenges to maintaining a happy marriage were related to financial demands such as securing sufficient household income, finding assistance in performing housework, and improving relational quality among family members. The study revealed interesting gender differences: For female respondents, structural factors of family and marriage—household income, housework, quality of family relations, and younger age at marriage—were significant. For their male peers, along with such structural factors, their health, activities, and quality of life were also significant. The findings of this study have implications for improving the quality of marital life among people with disabilities in South Korea and other developing countries.