Title: Work adjustment of middle-aged Korean women and its implications for policy

Authors: Young-Min Lee; Young-Sup Choi; Jung-Yon Lim

Addresses: Graduate School of Human Resources Development for Women, Sookmyung Women's University, 47th Street, Chungparo, Yongsan-gu, Seoul 140-742, Korea ' Korea Research Institute for Vocational Education and Training, Social Policy Building Sejong National Research Complex, 370 Sicheong-daero Sejong-si339-007, Korea ' Graduate Progr am of Human Resources Development Policy, Sookmyung Women's University, 47th Street, Chungparo, Yongsan-gu, Seoul 140-742, Korea

Abstract: The purpose of this research was to gain an understanding of the (re-)employment situation of middle-aged women in Korea, and to make suggestions for adapting their work environment. Regardless of past work experience, middle-aged Korean women who are newly employed or re-enter the labour market after a substantive period of career discontinuity are facing difficulty adapting to the organisational culture of the new jobs, and achieving work performance. For the analysis, a survey was conducted on job-seeking women recruited through regional employment centres across the country. Selections of 356 surveys were analysed using SPSS 18.0. It was found that middle-aged women in the workplace can face a variety of conflict situations. Among the conflicts, personal relation conflicts with co-workers were found to be the most commonly observable maladjustment behaviour, compared to other kinds of maladjustment activities that are mainly caused by lack of job-specific skills. The main reason for the various kinds of maladjustment was correlated with inappropriate management of the company system. Such maladjustment situations are also clearly increasing the intentions of middle-aged women to quit their current job, or furthermore, to (re-)exit from the labour market.

Keywords: middle-aged women; work adjustment; maladjustment; career discontinuity; policy for re-employment.

DOI: 10.1504/IJEPEE.2017.085289

International Journal of Economic Policy in Emerging Economies, 2017 Vol.10 No.2, pp.200 - 224

Received: 02 Apr 2015
Accepted: 09 Nov 2015
Published online: 21 Jul 2017 *

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