Differences in Multidimensional Poverty According to Householders’ Gender and Age in South Korea

This study examines multidimensional poverty according to householders’ gender and age in South Korea. Using the counting approach, multidimensional poverty was measured on six dimensions: money, health, housing, employment, social protection, and social relations. The results indicate that the monetary dimension does not cover other deprived dimensions. In terms of poverty rate, female-headed households are more deprived on all six dimensions. The headcount ratio and adjusted headcount ratio gradually decrease as the cutoff value of multidimensional poverty increases. The decreasing tendency is more moderate for female-headed households than for male-headed households, indicating that female-headed households face more weighted poverty dimensions. Our study found that the poverty dimension demonstrates different patterns according to householders’ age. For the older group, health is the second most contributing factor, and for the younger group housing and social protection contributed more to multidimensional poverty than for the older group.

     

Influential Factors of Poverty Dynamics among Korean Households that Include the Aged with Disability

The purpose of this longitudinal study was to examine closely the economic status of households that include the aged with disabilities in South Korea, as well as the factors contributing to their poverty dynamics. This study analyzed the poverty dynamics of households that include the aged with disabilities by using data from the Panel Survey of Employment for the Disabled for the years 2008 to 2012. This Survey is conducted by the Korea Employment Agency for the Disabled. Poverty dynamics were classified by the changes in poverty status in 2008 and 2012, including sustained poverty, sustained non-poverty, poverty exit, and poverty entry. We carried out a multinomial logistic regression for poverty dynamics based on demographics and analyzed the differences of income composition and consumption patterns according to poverty dynamics. Gender, education, degree of disability, economic activity, and change in the number of employed family members were identified as significant factors that determine poverty dynamics.