Familial Care

Elder Koreans in the United States cannot rely on the “three-legged stool” of retirement income because they are usually self-employed or work for a family friend. Korean immigrants list economic issues and educational opportunities for their children as factors for immigrating to the States and being self-employed. This impacted many 1.5 and 2nd generation Koreans because they feel as though they have a duty to repay their parents for all the sacrifices they have done for them. Also, if parents have language barriers and financial challenges, this causes worry for them because worrying about their future needs

When my parents get older and retire, there is no doubt in my mind that my siblings and I will be taking care of them in the future. We would support them financially since my parents both speak English fluently, so there is no need for us to be their language brokers. There is that sense of obligation and duty to repay them for all of their sacrifices and support throughout our lives. However, my siblings and I want to take care of them because we love them and want to make sure that they will be financially stable when they retire.

I think that the role of the father is often stigmatized as the person to be respected and feared, especially in Korean culture. I think that fathers should be more expressive, open, and nurturing towards their children in order to build a more emotional and loving relationship. I think there are both positive and negative benefits of the traditional Confucian way of fathering.