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The gender ideology of ‘Wise Mother and Good Wife’ and Korean immigrant women’s adjustment in the United States
Author(s) -
Seo You Jung,
Cheah Charissa S. L.,
Cho Hyun Su
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
nursing inquiry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.66
H-Index - 49
eISSN - 1440-1800
pISSN - 1320-7881
DOI - 10.1111/nin.12357
Subject(s) - wife , immigration , ideology , gender studies , ethnic group , face (sociological concept) , context (archaeology) , sociology , psychology , political science , politics , history , social science , law , archaeology , anthropology
The notion of ‘wise mother and good wife (WMGW)’ ( Hyonmo Yangcho ) is the traditional idealized image of Korean womanhood as one who serves her country and others through her roles as a mother and wife. This ideology may continue to have some significance in the lives of many first‐generation Korean immigrant women, but its potential role in the adjustment challenges these women may face while acculturating to the immigrant context in the United States has received little attention. In this paper, we briefly review the historical background of the WMGW ideology and discussed the significance of focusing research attention on the role of this notion in contemporary first‐generation Korean immigrant women in the United States. We focus on the intersecting influences of gender, ethnicity, and immigrants’ generation status, which may further marginalize some first‐generation Korean immigrant mothers. We then outline possible unique challenges faced by some of these mothers due to the WMGW gender ideology, highlighting potential immigration‐related difficulties including changes in their social support networks, parenting burden, mental health, and language issues. Finally, we provide suggestions for researchers and practitioners working with U.S. Korean immigrant women.