Trends in Gender Differences in Self-Rated Health in Korea: Evidence from the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2001-2012

Belinda L Needham,Erica Concors,Soojung Kim,Jeffrey J Wing

doi:10.5539/gjhs.v9n5p196

Abstract

Despite rapid economic growth during the last half of the twentieth century, gender inequality has remained high in Korea. Using data from the 2001 Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES), previous research found that gender differences in sociostructural and psychosocial factors contributed to a substantial female excess in poor self-rated health. To the extent that women’s overall social status relative to men has improved over time in Korea, it is possible that the gender gap in perceived health has decreased. This study used repeated cross-sectional KNHANES data from 2001-2012 to examine temporal trends in gender differences in self-rated health. In age-adjusted models, we found no significant trend in the female excess of poor self-rated health among respondents aged 25-44 (p=0.685). In contrast, we found a statistically significant downward trend among those aged 45-64 (p<0.001). In fully adjusted models controlling for age and behavioral, sociostructural, and psychosocial covariates, we found a marginally significant upward trend (p=0.08) among younger respondents, while the downward trend among older respondents remained significant (p<0.001). More work is needed to determine why gendered health disparities decreased among older adults in Korea but not among those aged 25-44.

Highlights

When the Korean War ended in 1953, South Korea was one of the poorest countries in the world
Using data from the 2001 Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES), previous research found that gender differences in sociostructural and psychosocial factors contributed to a substantial female excess in poor self-rated health
While economic growth tends to be accompanied by a reduction in gender inequality (Duflo 2012), previous research suggests that changes in the status of Korean women relative to men have lagged behind changes in the economy, resulting in a substantial gender gap in perceived health (Chun et al 2008)

Summary

Introduction

When the Korean War ended in 1953, South Korea was one of the poorest countries in the world. While economic growth tends to be accompanied by a reduction in gender inequality (Duflo 2012), previous research suggests that changes in the status of Korean women relative to men have lagged behind changes in the economy, resulting in a substantial gender gap in perceived health (Chun et al 2008). We review recent trends in educational, economic, and household labor inequality between women and men in Korea and use nationally representative data from the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) to determine whether gender differences in poor self-rated health increased, decreased, or remained the same over a 12-year period from 2001 to 2012. Despite substantial increases in women’s educational attainment since the turn of the twenty-first century, the female labor force participation rate in Korea remained virtually unchanged from 47.7% in 2001 to 48.4% in 2012 (Statistics Korea 2015). In 2013, the pay gap between Korean women and men was the highest of all 34 gjhs.ccsenet.org

Objectives

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion