A Study of Current Employment and Future Trends for Young Home Economists

Original Article

Journal of the Korean Home Economics Association 1982;20(3):85-102.

자료편 : 가정학 전공자의 취업과 전망

문수재 , 김혜경 , 윤선 , 윤복자 , 정문자

A Study of Current Employment and Future Trends for Young Home Economists

Soo Jae Moon , Hae Kyung Kim , Sun Yoon , Bok Cha Yoon , Moon Ja Chung

ABSTRACT

The current employment status among young home economists and perspectives in occupations for prospective Home Economics graduates were explored in this study which utilized information from 17 to 21 colleges in Korea and colleges in the United States during the five years of 1977∼1981. The Home Economics content areas covered in this study were Clothing and Textiles, Foods and Nutrition, Housing and Interior Design, and Child Development and Family Life. The highest percentage of Korean graduates in Clothing and Textiles was employed either as teachers at the junior high school level or as designers in the clothing and textile industries. Quite a number of the graduates were engaged in further studies at the graduate level. Korean graduates with a master's degree were teaching at the college level and some had furthered their studies at the doctorate level either here or abroad. Koreans with a bachelor's degree in Foods and Nutrition held jobs as teachers in junior high school, dieticians at mass feeding institutions and hospitals, food scientists in food industries, and researchers in institutions. Those with a master's degree were teaching at the college level. Americans with a bachelor's degree worked as dieticians, supervisors in restaurants and institutions, extension workers, researchers at various facilities, teachers and clerks. Americans with a master's or doctorate degree were engaged in teaching at colleges or supervising at research or working as extension specialists. In general, Korean graduates were found to hold positions in less varied areas than their American counter-parts. Among forty-nine graduates those working in their professional field reported less sex discrimination that those working in other fields. The major area of employment in Housing and Interior Design or Home Management graduates in Korea was teaching while in the United States it was extension work, business, governmental work and teaching. It was suggested that in the future, career development in Korea be further explored to include extension service, research, social welfare, financial planning, business, free-lancing, funeral home, home-call, and correctional education. Interviews with executives from 6 business enterprises indicated that most of them were aware of the potential contribution home economists could make for their companies but they expressed a negative attitude towards women in general due to their short stay on the job. Jobs held by Child Development and Family Life majors with a bachelor's degree in Korea were mostly teaching positions in public, junior and senior high school. However, jobs such as nursery school teaching, working in clinical setting, business, and teaching at public, junior and senior high school predominated in the United states. Most Korean graduates with a master's degree were teaching in professional colleges while in the United Stated the job variation among the graduates was rather evenly distributed among teaching at college level, public and high school, nursery school and administration areas. Reports from 7 child development majors on the job indicated that they were paid less that secretarial workers. Only half of them were working in their major area and these expressed satisfaction with their work. Two thirds of the respondents indicated no sex discrimination. It was suggested that in the future Child Development and Family Life majors pursue employment in counseling, guidance, recreation, mass media, administration and outreach work as well as education, research and parent education in services for children, teen-agers, adults and families.